Citation

Buzzacott P, Mazur A, Wang Q, Lambrechts K, Theron M, Guerrero F. Diving Hyperb. Med. 2015; 45(2): 75-78.

Affiliation

Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Laboratoire Optimisation des Régulations Physiologiques (ORPhy), UFR Sciences et Techniques, Brest, France.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society and European Underwater and Baromedical Society)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

26165527

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to establish if chronic, moderate, pre-dive alcohol consumption had any affect upon susceptibility to decompression sickness (DCS) in rats.

METHODS: A treatment group of 15 rats were given water containing 12 mL ·L ⁻¹ of ethanol for four weeks. Controls (n = 15) were given water. Both groups were compressed with air to 1,000 kPa, followed by staged decompression. An additional 30 control rats from a similar previous experiment were added, raising the control-treatment ratio to 3:1.

RESULTS: Rats in the treatment group consumed the equivalent of an 80 kg man drinking 2 L of 5 % alcohol by volume beer per day, which is three times the recommended daily limit for men. Overall, comparing the treatment group with the combined control groups neither weight (P = 0.23) nor alcohol consumption (P = 0.69) were associated with DCS.

DISCUSSION: We observed that chronic, moderate alcohol consumption prior to compression was neither prophylactic nor deleterious for DCS in young, male rats.

Language: en