Problem: The Cardiovascular System - Blood doping
An athlete removes 300-500 mL of whole blood 21 days prior to an upcoming cycling race. The athlete then injects the 300-500 mL of venous blood back into the bloodstream 7 days prior to the race in order to improve their aerobic performance.
• Question I: Describe the normal regulation of blood pressure and heart rate. Key words: sensory receptors, autonomic regulation, total peripheral resistance.
• Question II: Describe how the injection of 300-500 mL of blood would impact the function of the heart and blood pressure in the minutes after injection.
• Question III: Describe how the renal and cardiovascular systems would respond in the days following the initial removal of 300-500 mL of blood in order to restore homeostasis.