New Study Examines Blood Clot Risks For Female Astronauts In Microgravity

Just a fewer days successful simulated microgravity tin subtly alteration nan measurement women's humor clots, sparking bigger questions astir wellness monitoring protocols for astronauts who tin walk six months aliases much successful orbit, opportunity Simon Fraser University researchers. 

First reported in 2020, an International Space Station ngo detected an unexpected humor clot successful a female astronaut's jugular vein. To date, space-health investigation has had much antheral participants but pinch nan number of female astronauts connected nan rise, a caller SFU–European Space Agency study examined how microgravity affects blood clotting specifically successful women.

Key findings

• 18 female participants knowledgeable 5 days of continuous simulated microgravity in a European Space Agency (ESA)-sponsored VIVALDI I dry immersion study.
• Coagulation clip (the clip it took for humor clots to commencement forming) was longer.
• Once started, clots formed faster.
• Once formed, nan spot and stableness of nan clots was greater
• The study findings were not clinically concerning aft conscionable 5 days successful simulated microgravity but indicate more investigation is needed to evaluate potential risks successful longer abstraction flights.

"We cognize that connected Earth, clotting successful men and women tin alteration pinch age, but we person small accusation connected whether these will beryllium different erstwhile successful space," says Andrew Blaber, professor of biomedical physiology and kinesiology, and senior writer of nan study. "In this microgravity environment, we found the female participants took longer for their blood to commencement clotting. But once that clotting began, it formed faster and was much stable, making it harder to break down."

This operation - slower initiation, faster formation, stronger clots - was not shown to be inherently vulnerable successful nan short term, says Tiffany Stead, lead author of nan study. But it does raise concerns for astronauts because of really and where in nan assemblage these dangerous humor clots tin form while successful space and far from emergency aesculapian care.

Published in Acta Astronautica, the study looked at real‑time clotting responses in 18 healthy female participants over five days in a dry immersion tank, a specially designed water bath with a waterproof expanse to keep participants dry while floating, and simulating weightlessness.

Using a diagnostic method called rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM), nan study measured really clotting originates and progresses successful nan body. Participants' humor was besides analyzed for menstrual hormones, which were recovered to person nary effects connected humor coagulation. 

Why spaceflight changes wherever and really vulnerable clots form

If near untreated, blood clots tin dislodge and travel done bloodstream. If they scope nan lungs, heart or brain, they tin origin pulmonary embolism, bosom attack, aliases stroke. 

Gravity connected Earth intends blood clots most commonly form in nan legs, buying nan assemblage much clip to break nan clot up connected its own, or be treated by doctors before causing a life-threatening event. 

But without the unit of gravity, humor pools in nan head, and successful immoderate cases moreover reverses direction, creating conditions wherever clots are much apt to form, Blaber explains. 

"We've found that successful space, blood clots are much apt to form successful nan jugular vein. From there, it doesn't have to recreation acold to reach lungs aliases heart, and trigger a superior aesculapian event," he says. "Space is not a place where you want these things to happen."

Blaber's squad is now analyzing comparable antheral dry immersion data, which will help guide future medical monitoring aliases countermeasures needed during spaceflight. 

Space agencies are already paying adjacent attention. Astronaut crews now regularly execute jugular‑vein ultrasound scans during missions, the very exertion that revealed the initial clot by accident back successful 2020. 

"Now that they cognize it tin happen, they're looking astatine it much often arsenic portion of nan modular measures," Blaber says. 

Blaber and his team astatine SFU's Aerospace Physiology Laboratory routinely collaborate with the Canadian Space Agency and international space agencies to study nan effects of space on astronauts.