20 March 2008
Glucose pre-dive drink may prevent decompression sickness
Many factors increase the chance of decompression sickness, including dehydration. Researchers from the French Navy have found that drinking 1.3 litres of a saline-glucose drink an hour and a half before the dive decreased bubble formation. This provides an easy means of reducing decompression sickness risk.
The test was carried out on eight military divers.
Journal Ref: Br. J. Sports Med., February 28, 2008
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Labels: decompression sickness, research
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21 November 2007
Laser spots decompression sickness
Decompression sickness, it not treated quickly, can cause lasting damage and may even be fatal. Instead of waiting for symptoms to appear, a University of Houston professor is developing a laser-based system that can diagnose decompression sickness in a matter of seconds.Kirill Larin, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering, is using a $400,000 grant from the U.S. Navy to develop the first optical non-invasive tool to test those most likely to suffer from decompression sickness, such as SCUBA divers, submariners and airplane pilots. Decompression sickness affects those who experience sudden, drastic changes in the air or water pressure surrounding their bodies. It can cause anything from joint pain – known as the bends – to seizure, stroke, coma and, in the most extreme cases, death.
“Most of the time, decompression sickness isn’t addressed until the person starts showing clinical symptoms,” Larin said. “It would be better, of course, to treat the problem before the symptoms appear. That would allow individuals to take the appropriate medical actions to reduce the side effects of decompression sickness.”
Larin’s optical device can locate microbubbles of nitrogen gas in blood and tissues, which can restrict the flow of blood throughout the body and cause harm. Larin is developing the tool, which works much like an ultrasound machine, with Dr. Bruce Butler of the UT Health Science Center in Houston. Instead of getting readings using sound waves, however, Larin’s system uses light waves in the form of lasers that bounce back when they encounter resistance, thereby providing a high-resolution image.
The Navy could eventually use this technology on all divers or pilots returning to the surface. By shining the laser on one of these individuals, it would provide an image that would reveal the presence of any microbubbles in the blood or tissue – all in a matter of seconds. If microbubbles are found, then medical steps, such as time in a decompression chamber, could be taken before the symptoms appear.
An early version of the tool has been able to locate microbubbles as small as six micrometers, or six thousandths of a millimeter. Most microbubbles are between five and 15 micrometers, about the size of a red blood cell.
With continued research, everyone from highly trained naval divers and pilots, to astronauts and recreational SCUBA divers could benefit.
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Labels: decompression sickness, medical, research
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22 August 2007
New Scale Developed to Diagnose Decompression Sickness
There are currently no universally accepted diagnostic criteria for the diagnosis of decompression sickness. The new SANDHOG (SAN Diego Diving and Hyperbaric Organizations) criteria uses a point scale and entrance level for the diagnosis of decompression sickness. Once the entrance criterion has been met, points are awarded based upon the diver's symptoms and their time of onset.
The point system and time limits were determined based upon US Navy and Royal Canadian diving reports.
On validating the SANDHOG criteria against a database of diving related injuries, the researchers found that the specificity of the SANDHOG criteria to be good, and concluded that the SANDHOG criteria are a useful tool for the diagnosis of decompression sicknes.
Journal Reference: Undersea Hyperb Med. 2007 May-Jun;34(3):199-210.
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5 June 2007
Decompression sickness causes lasting poor health
A team from Haukeland University Hospital in Norway investigated the impact of decompression sickness and diving exposure on the health of Norwegian divers who previously worked in the North Sea.
They questioned 230 ex-divers on their diving education and history of decompression sickness. They also gave them a questionnaire to fill in to assess their health status, called the SF-36 questionnaire. This measures eight properties: physical functioning, social functioning, role limitations due to physical problems, role limitations due to emotional problems, mental health, energy/vitality, pain and general health perception.
All the questionnaire scores were significantly reduced compared with Norwegian norms. Further reduced scores were seen among divers who reported previous decompression sickness compared to those without decompression sickness. There was a decreasing trend in scores related to number of days in saturation and maximal depth. However, the impact of saturation diving was present only in divers who had experienced decompression sickness.
The researchers concluded that having had decompression sickness during a diving career contributes significantly to a reduction in all health aspects, and neurological decompression sickness has the most pronounced impact. Cumulative diving exposure, including days in saturation, and maximal depth also contributed to poorer health.
Journal reference: Occupational Medicine, doi:10.1093/occmed/kqm032
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