Citation

Boussuges A, Abdellaoui S, Gardette B, Sainty JM. Undersea Hyperb. Med. 1997; 24(4): 309-314.

Affiliation

Service de Reanimation Medicale et d'Hyperbarie, Hopital Salvator, Marseilles, France.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

9444062

Abstract

Since the 1960s, decompression illness after breath-hold diving has been widely debated. The aim of this study was to detect circulating bubbles after breath-hold diving in underwater fishing divers. We used continuous Doppler (DUG, COMEX Pro) and transthoracic two-dimensional (2D) echocardiography (Kontron Sigma 1). This study was conducted during a training course organized by the French Federation of Subaquatic Sports at Minorca (Balearic Islands). Ten breath-hold divers performed repeated breath-hold dives for periods ranging from 2 to 6 h [mean maximum depth 35 meters of seawater (msw)]. A dive computer (Maestro Pro Beuchat, analyst PC interface) was used to record diving patterns. No circulating bubbles were detected in the right heart cavities (2D echocardiography) or in the pulmonary artery (continuous Doppler). However, this study had some limits: only 10 subjects were studied and the earliest detection was 3 min after immersion, further studies will thus be required.

Language: en