Decompression sickness, fatness and active hydrophobic spots.

Decompression sickness, fatness and active hydrophobic spots. Diving Hyperb Med. 2018 Sep 30;48(3):130-131 Authors: van Ooij PJA Abstract Since decompression sickness (DCS) in humans was first described, mankind has embarked on an odyssey to prevent it. The demonstration that decompression releases bubbles, which mainly contain inert gas (nitrogen, helium), into the circulation and that the slower the decompression rate the lesser the incidence of DCS, resulted in 1908 in the publication of the first, reasonably safe diving tables. Besides the development of proper diving tables, the selection of divers is also of importance. A relationship between body composition and DCS was observed in dogs as long ago as the nineteenth century, an observation supported early in the twentieth century: "Really fat men should never be allowed to work in compressed air, and plump men should be excluded from high pressure caissons…or in diving to more than about 10 fathoms, and at this depth the time of their exposure should be curtailed. If deep diving is to be undertaken…. skinny men should be selected." Alas, nothing is that simple! From my own experience it was not always the fat diver who ended up in the treatment chamber with DCS. Therefore, other factors must be at play; gender, age, physical fitness, and the existence of a persistent foramen ovale (PFO) have all been studied as possible factors for the development of vascular gas bubbles a...
Source: Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine - Category: Sports Medicine Tags: Diving Hyperb Med Source Type: research