Swelling of the foot, its vascular volume and systemic hemoconcentration during long-term constrained sitting

Abstract

Swelling of the left foot and changes in its vascular volume (VV) were studied in seven healthy subjects during 8 h of seated work without leg movements. Changes in total plasma volume (PV) were calculated from hematocrit values. Reference values (r.v.) were obtained during a working day requiring intermittent physical activity (walking). Significant changes during the first 4 h: the foot swelled by 3.5% (r.v.: 2.2%) and VV was reduced by 0.5% of the foot volume (r.v.: increased by 0.3%). Accordingly, the interstitial fluid volume (IFV) of the foot increased by 4.0% (r.v.: 1.9%). The loss of PV was 6.3%. During the last 4 h the only significant change was an increase in foot volume by 1.9%. It is concluded that (1) foot swelling should be corrected for changes in VV to obtain an exact measure of the change in IFV, (2) prolonged elevated pressure, assumed to occur in the feet during relaxed sitting, does not imply distension ("delayed compliance") of the vascular system as previously suggested, (3) hemoconcentration seems to reach complete stability during the initial period of quiet sitting, (4) loss of PV during sedentary work may be avoided by a modest increase in leg activity.