Natural history of severe decompression sickness after rapid ascent from air saturation in a porcine model.

We developed a swine model to describe the untreated natural history of severe decompression sickness (DCS) after direct ascent from saturation conditions. In a recompression chamber, neutered male Yorkshire swine were pressurized to a predetermined depth from 50-150 feet of seawater [fsw; 2.52-5.55 atmospheres absolute (ATA)]. After 22 h, they returned to the surface (1 ATA) at 30 fsw/min (0.91 ATA/min) without decompression stops and were observed. Depth was the primary predictor of DCS incidence (R = 0.52, P < 0.0001) and death (R = 0.54, P < 0.0001). Severe DCS, defined as neurological or cardiopulmonary impairment, occurred in 78 of 128 animals, and 42 of 51 animals with cardiopulmonary DCS died within 1 h after surfacing. Within 24 h, 29 of 30 survivors with neurological DCS completely resolved their deficits without intervention. Pretrial Monte Carlo analysis decreased subject requirement without sacrificing power. This model provides a useful platform for investigating the pathophysiology of severe DCS and testing therapeutic interventions. The results raise important questions about present models of human responses to similar decompressive insults.     

Effect of inert gas switching at depth on decompression outcome in rats

The present investigation was performed to determine whether inert gas sequencing at depth would affect decompression outcome in rats via the phenomenon of counterdiffusion. Unanesthetized rats (Rattus norvegicus) were subjected to simulated dives in either air, 79% He-21% O2, or 79% Ar-21% O2; depths ranged from 125 to 175 feet of seawater (4.8-6.3 atmospheres absolute). After 1 h at depth, the dive chamber was vented (with depth held constant) over a 5-min period with the same gas as in the chamber (controls) or one of the other two inert gas-O2 mixtures. After the gas switch, a 5- to 35-min period was allowed for gas exchange between the animals and chamber atmosphere before rapid decompression to the surface. Substantial changes in the risk of decompression sickness (DCS) were observed after the gas switch because of differences in potencies (He less than N2 less than Ar) for causing DCS and gas exchange rates (He greater than Ar greater than N2) among the three gases. Based on the predicted gas exchange rates, transient increases or decreases in total inert gas pressure would be expected to occur during these experimental conditions. Because of differences in gas potencies, DCS risk may not directly follow the changes in total inert gas pressure. In fact, a decline in predicted DCS risk may occur even as total inert gas pressure in increasing.     

Decompression outcome following saturation dives with multiple inert gases in rats

This investigation examined the question of whether gas mixtures containing multiple inert gases provide a decompression advantage over mixtures containing a single inert gas. Unanesthetized male albino rats, Rattus norvegicus, were subjected to 2-h simulated dives at depths ranging from 145 to 220 fsw. At pressure, the rats breathed various He-N2-Ar-O2 mixtures (79.1% inert gas-20.9% O2); they were then decompressed rapidly (within 10 s) to surface pressures. The probability of decompression sickness (DCS), measured either as severe bends symptoms or death, was related to the experimental variables in a Hill equation model incorporating parameters that account for differences in the potencies of the three gases and the weight of the animal. The relative potencies of the three gases, which affect the total dose of decompression stress, were determined as significantly different in the following ascending order of potency: He less than N2 less than Ar; some of these differences were small in magnitude. With mixtures, the degree of decompression stress diminished as either N2 or Ar was replaced by He. No obvious advantage or disadvantage of mixtures over the least potent pure inert gas (He) was evident, although limits to the expectation of possible advantage or disadvantage of mixtures were defined. Also, model analysis did not support the hypothesis that the outcome of decompression with multiple inert gases in rats under these experimental conditions can be explained totally by the volume of gas accumulated in the body during a dive.     

Effect of N2-He-O2 on decompression outcome in rats after variable time-at-depth dives

No study of decompression sickness has examined both variable gas mixtures and variable time at depth to the point of statistical significance. This investigation examined the effect of N2-He-O2 on decompression outcome in rats after variable time-at-depth dives. Unanesthetized male albino rats were subjected to one of two series of simulated dives: 1) N2-He-O2 dives (20.9% O2) at 175 feet of seawater fsw) and 2) N2-O2 dives (variable percentage of O2; depths from 141 to 207 fsw). Time at depth ranged from 10 to 120 min; rats were then decompressed within 10 s to surface pressure. The probability of decompression sickness (severe bends symptoms or death) was analyzed with a Hill equation model, with parameters for gas potency and equilibrium time for the three gases and weight of the animal. Relative potencies for the three gases were of similar magnitude for bends and statistically different for death in ascending order: O2 less than He less than N2. Estimated gas uptake rates were different. N2 took three to four times as long as He to reach full effect; the rate of O2 appeared to be considerably shorter than that of N2 or He. The large influence of O2 on decompression outcome questions the simplistic view that O2 cannot contribute to the decompression requirement.     

Predicting the time of occurrence of decompression sickness.

Probabilistic models and maximum likelihood estimation have been used to predict the occurrence of decompression sickness (DCS). We indicate a means of extending the maximum likelihood parameter estimation procedure to make use of knowledge of the time at which DCS occurs. Two models were compared in fitting a data set of nearly 1,000 exposures, in which greater than 50 cases of DCS have known times of symptom onset. The additional information provided by the time at which DCS occurred gave us better estimates of model parameters. It was also possible to discriminate between good models, which predict both the occurrence of DCS and the time at which symptoms occur, and poorer models, which may predict only the overall occurrence. The refined models may be useful in new applications for customizing decompression strategies during complex dives involving various times at several different depths. Conditional probabilities of DCS for such dives may be reckoned as the dive is taking place and the decompression strategy adjusted to circumstance. Some of the mechanistic implications and the assumptions needed for safe application of decompression strategies on the basis of conditional probabilities are discussed.     

Predicting risk of decompression sickness in humans from outcomes in sheep.

In animals, the response to decompression scales as a power of species body mass. Consequently, decompression sickness (DCS) risk in humans should be well predicted from an animal model with a body mass comparable to humans. No-stop decompression outcomes in compressed air and nitrogen-oxygen dives with sheep (n = 394 dives, 14.5% DCS) and humans (n = 463 dives, 4.5% DCS) were used with linear-exponential, probabilistic modeling to test this hypothesis. Scaling the response parameters of this model between species (without accounting for body mass), while estimating tissue-compartment kinetic parameters from combined human and sheep data, predicts combined risk better, based on log likelihood, than do separate sheep and human models, a combined model without scaling, and a kinetic-scaled model. These findings provide a practical tool for estimating DCS risk in humans from outcomes in sheep, especially in decompression profiles too risky to test with humans. This model supports the hypothesis that species of similar body mass have similar DCS risk.     

Decompression sickness in the rat following a dive on trimix: recompression therapy with oxygen vs. heliox and oxygen.

Trimix (a mixture of helium, nitrogen, and oxygen) has been used in deep diving to reduce the risk of high-pressure nervous syndrome during compression and the time required for decompression at the end of the dive. There is no specific recompression treatment for decompression sickness (DCS) resulting from trimix diving. Our purpose was to validate a rat model of DCS on decompression from a trimix dive and to compare recompression treatment with oxygen and heliox (helium-oxygen). Rats were exposed to trimix in a hyperbaric chamber and tested for DCS while walking in a rotating wheel. We first established the experimental model, and then studied the effect of hyperbaric treatment on DCS: either hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) (1 h, 280 kPa oxygen) or heliox-HBO (0.5 h, 405 kPa heliox 50%-50% followed by 0.5 h, 280 kPa oxygen). Exposure to trimix was conducted at 1,110 kPa for 30 min, with a decompression rate of 100 kPa/min. Death and most DCS symptoms occurred during the 30-min period of walking. In contrast to humans, no permanent disability was found in the rats. Rats with a body mass of 100-150 g suffered no DCS. The risk of DCS in rats weighing 200-350 g increased linearly with body mass. Twenty-four hours after decompression, death rate was 40% in the control animals and zero in those treated immediately with HBO. When treatment was delayed by 5 min, death rate was 25 and 20% with HBO and heliox, respectively.     

Minimizing errors in the analysis of dive recordings from shallow-diving animals

Knowledge of the diving behaviour of aquatic animals expanded considerably with the invention of time-depth recorders (TDRs) in the 1960s. The large volume of data acquired from TDRs can be analyzed using dive analysis software, however, the application of the software has received relatively little attention. We present an empirical procedure to select optimum values that are critical to obtaining reliable results: the zero-offset correction (ZOC) and the dive threshold. We used dive data from shallow-diving coastal dugongs (Dugong dugon) and visual observations from an independent study to develop and test a procedure that minimizes errors in characterizing dives. We initially corrected the surface level using custom software. We then determined the optimum values for each parameter by classifying dives identified by an open-source dive analysis software into Plausible and Implausible dives based on the duration of dives. The Plausible dives were further classified as Unrecognized dives if they were not identified by the software but were of realistic dive duration. The comparison of these dive types indicated that a ZOC of 1 m and a dive threshold of 0.75 m were the optimum values for our dugong data as they gave the largest number of Plausible dives and smaller numbers of other dive types. Frequency distributions of dive durations from TDRs and independent visual observations supported the selection. Our procedure could be applied to other shallow-diving animals such as coastal dolphins and turtles.     

Benefits of thermal acclimation in a tropical aquatic ectotherm,the Arafura filesnake, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acrochordus arafurae</Emphasis>

The presumption that organisms benefit from thermal acclimation has been widely debated in the literature. The ability to thermally acclimate to offset temperature effects on physiological function is prevalent in ectotherms that are unable to thermoregulate year-round to maintain performance. In this study we examined the physiological and behavioural consequences of long-term exposure to different water temperatures in the aquatic snake Acrochordus arafurae. We hypothesised that long dives would benefit this species by reducing the likelihood of avian predation. To achieve longer dives at high temperatures, we predicted that thermal acclimation of A. arafurae would reduce metabolic rate and increase use of aquatic respiration. Acrochordus arafurae were held at 24 or 32°C for 3 months before dive duration and physiological factors were assessed (at both 24 and 32°C). Although filesnakes demonstrated thermal acclimation of metabolic rate, use of aquatic respiration was thermally independent and did not acclimate. Mean dive duration did not differ between the acclimation groups at either temperature; however, warm-acclimated animals increased maximum and modal dive duration, demonstrating a longer dive duration capacity. Our study established that A. arafurae is capable of thermal acclimation and this confers a benefit to the diving abilities of this snake.     

REPETITIVE SHALLOW DIVES POSE DECOMPRESSION RISK IN DEEP-DIVING BEAKED WHALES

The impact of naval sonar on beaked whales is of increasing concern. In recent years the presence of gas and fat embolism consistent with decompression sickness (DCS) has been reported through postmortem analyses on beaked whales that stranded in connection with naval sonar exercises. In the present study, we use basic principles of diving physiology to model nitrogen tension and bubble growth in several tissue compartments during normal diving behavior and for several hypothetical dive profiles to assess the risk of DCS. Assuming that normal diving does not cause nitrogen tensions in excess of those shown to be safe for odontocetes, the modeling indicates that repetitive shallow dives, perhaps as a consequence of an extended avoidance reaction to sonar sound, can indeed pose a risk for DCS and that this risk should increase with the duration of the response. If the model is correct, then limiting the duration of sonar exposure to minimize the duration of any avoidance reaction therefore has the potential to reduce the risk of DCS.     

Dive bout organization in the Chinstrap penguin at seal island, antarctica

Diving behavior of 2 breeding Chinstrap penguins (Pygoscelis antarctica) was studied focusing first and primarily on dive bouts rather than dives themselves. Analysis of dive bout organization revealed (1) though there are differences between solitary dives and dive bouts in dive duration and dive depth, the first dives of dive bouts do not differ from solitary dives in the dive parameters, (2) mean dive duration during bout correlates positively to both mean dive depth during bout and mean surface interval during bout, while number of dives during bout negatively correlates to both cost (consumed energy) and duration of a dive cycle during bout. These findings suggest the following possibilities on foraging behavior of penguins: (1) their decision to repeat diving depends on the result of the first dive at a site, and the first dives of bouts would tend to be searching or evaluating dives though they would be also successful foraging dives, (2) they repeat diving at a foraging patch until foraging efficiency decrease to a threshold of diminishing returns.     

Mixed-gas model for predicting decompression sickness in rats.

A mixed-gas model for rats was developed to further explore the role of different gases in decompression and to provide a global model for possible future evaluation of its usefulness for human prediction. A Hill-equation dose-response model was fitted to over 5,000 rat dives by using the technique of maximum likelihood. These dives used various mixtures of He, N(2), Ar, and O(2) and had times at depth up to 2 h and varied decompression profiles. Results supported past findings, including 1) differences among the gases in decompression risk (He < N(2) < Ar) and exchange rate (He > Ar approximately N(2)), 2) significant decompression risk of O(2), and 3) increased risk of decompression sickness with heavier animals. New findings included asymmetrical gas exchange with gas washout often unexpectedly faster than uptake. Model success was demonstrated by the relatively small errors (and their random scatter) between model predictions and actual incidences. This mixed-gas model for prediction of decompression sickness in rats is the first such model for any animal species that covers such a broad range of gas mixtures and dive profiles.     

ANALYSIS OF SWIM VELOCITIES DURING DEEP AND SHALLOW DIVES OF TWO NORTHERN FUR SEALS, CALLORHINUS URSINUS

Swim velocities at 15-sec intervals and maximum depth per dive were recorded by microprocessor units on two "mixed diver" adult female northern fur seals during summer foraging trips. These records allowed comparison of swim velocities of deep (>75 m) and shallow (<75 m) dives.
Deep dives averaged 120 m depth and 3 min duration; shallow dives averaged 30 m and 1.2 min. Mean swim velocities on deep dives were 1.8 and 1.5 m/sec for the two animals; mean swim velocities on shallow dives were 1.5 and 1.2 m/sec. The number of minutes per hour spent diving during the deep and shallow dive patterns were 11 and 27 min, respectively.
Swim velocity, and hence, relative metabolic rate, did not account for the differences in dive durations between deep and shallow dives. The long surface durations associated with deep dives, and estimates of metabolic rates for the observed swim velocities, suggest that deep dives involve significant anaerobic metabolism.     

THREE-DIMENSIONAL DIVING BEHAVIORS OF RINGED SEALS (PHOCA HISPIDA)

Dives of five freely diving ringed seals were classified into three-dimentional movement types. Horizontally convoluted dives, defined as dives with angular velocity > 15°/sec, appeared to be foraging or social dives. Simple dives that did not include convoluted movements (angular velocity < 10°/sec) were considered to be exploration dives. Directional dives with nearly linear horizontal travel (horizontal directionality >0.6, on a scale of 0–1) were presumed to be travel dives. Each three-dimensional dive type was observed with similar frequency in dives with two distinct time-depth profiles: V-shaped profiles in which ascent immediately followed descent, and U-shaped profiles in which >7 sec were spent at depth between descent and ascent. The lack of behavioral differences between dives with distinct time-depth profiles suggested that time-depth profiles are not a reliable means of inferring dive behaviors for ringed seals.     

Biophysical basis for inner ear decompression sickness.

Isolated inner ear decompression sickness (DCS) is recognized in deep diving involving breathing of helium-oxygen mixtures, particularly when breathing gas is switched to a nitrogen-rich mixture during decompression. The biophysical basis for this selective vulnerability of the inner ear to DCS has not been established. A compartmental model of inert gas kinetics in the human inner ear was constructed from anatomical and physiological parameters described in the literature and used to simulate inert gas tensions in the inner ear during deep dives and breathing-gas substitutions that have been reported to cause inner ear DCS. The model predicts considerable supersaturation, and therefore possible bubble formation, during the initial phase of a conventional decompression. Counterdiffusion of helium and nitrogen from the perilymph may produce supersaturation in the membranous labyrinth and endolymph after switching to a nitrogen-rich breathing mixture even without decompression. Conventional decompression algorithms may result in inadequate decompression for the inner ear for deep dives. Breathing-gas switches should be scheduled deep or shallow to avoid the period of maximum supersaturation resulting from decompression.     

Norwegian deep diving trials

In 1983 NUTEC, together with two diving companies, completed two dives with 12 divers (6 in each dive) to pressures equivalent to 350 m s.w., one dive lasted for 17 d, and the other, 24 d. The purpose of the dives was to demonstrate that the diving companies were prepared for diving to 300 m depth in the North Sea. No major medical or physiological problems arose during the dives, although all divers had minor symptoms of high pressure nervous syndrome during compressions. During decompression three decompression sickness incidents occurred, which involved pain only, and all were successfully treated. All divers went through comprehensive medical physiological examinations before and after the dives. No significant changes from values measured before diving have been found in the six divers who have so far been examined after diving, except that five of them were considerably more sensitive to CO2 after the dive than before. Several problems arose in connection with the divers' breathing equipment, thermal protection and communication, which need to be improved.     

SUMMER DIVING BEHAVIOR OF MALE WALRUSES IN BRISTOL BAY, ALASKA

Pacific walruses ( Odobenus rosmarus divergens ) make trips from ice or land haul-out sites to forage for benthic prey. We describe dive and trip characteristics from time-depth-recorder data collected over a one-month period during summer from four male Pacific walruses in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Dives were classified into four types. Shallow (4 m), short (2.7 min), square-shaped dives accounted for 11% of trip time, and many were probably associated with traveling. Shallow (2 m) and very short (0.5 min) dives composed only 1% of trip time. Deep (41 m), long (7.2 min), square-shaped dives accounted for 46% of trip time and were undoubtedly associated with benthic foraging. V-shaped dives ranged widely in depth, were of moderate duration (4.7 min), and composed 3% of trip time. These dives may have been associated with navigation or exploration of the seafloor for potential prey habitat. Surface intervals between dives were similar among dive types, and generally lasted 1–2 min. Total foraging time was strongly correlated with trip duration and there was no apparent diel pattern of diving in any dive type among animals. We found no correlation between dive duration and postdive surface interval within dive types, suggesting that diving occurred within aerobic dive limits. Trip duration varied considerably within and among walruses (0.3–9.4 d), and there was evidence that some of the very short trips were unrelated to foraging. Overall, walruses were in the water for 76.6% of the time, of which 60.3% was spent diving.     

急性减压病大鼠肺组织粘附分子的变化

目的:探讨急性减压病大鼠肺组织中内粘附分子的改变。方法:雄性SD大鼠置于加压舱内,压缩空气在3 min内匀速加压至0.7 MPa,停留60 min后,3 min内快速减压出舱。观察减压后生存率、减压病症状。在减压后30 min、6 h、24 h取大鼠脑、肺及肝脏组织,甲醛溶液固定、切片、HE染色观测病理改变。免疫组化测定肺组织中细胞间粘附分子-1(ICAM-1)、E-选择素(E-selectin)、主要组织相容性复合体-Ⅱ(MHC-Ⅱ)的表达变化。在减压后6h、24 h前30 min,大鼠尾静脉注射2%evans blue溶液。30 min后行生理盐水灌注,收集肺组织,观测肺组织蓝染程度,酶标仪测定血浆中evans blue含量。结果:肺、肝及脑组织在减压后30 min出现水肿、淤血等病理表现。和正常组比较,肺组织中ICAM-1、E-selectin、MHC-Ⅱ在减压后明显上升,并呈现动态变化。相对于正常组,减压后6 h、24h肺组织血浆中evans blue含量明显增加。结论:气泡导致的,粘附分子介导的血管内皮受损是减压病的发病机制之一。