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Oxygen or carbogen breathing before simulated submarine escape

Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI), Centre for Environmental Physiology, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden

Submitted 30 April 2007 ; accepted in final form 25 October 2007

Raised internal pressure in a distressed submarine increases the risk of bubble formation and decompression illness after submarine escape. The hypothesis that short periods of oxygen breathing before submarine escape would reduce decompression stress was tested, using Doppler-detectable venous gas emboli as a measure. Twelve goats breathed oxygen for 15 min at 0.1 MPa before exposure to a simulated submarine escape profile to and from 2.5 MPa (240 m/seawater), whereas 28 control animals underwent the same dive without oxygen prebreathe. No decompression sickness (DCS) occurred in either of these two groups. Time with high bubble scores (Kisman-Masurel 3) was significantly (P < 0.001) shorter in the prebreathe group. In a second series, 30 goats breathed air at 0.2 MPa for 6 h. Fifteen minutes before escape from 2.5 MPa, animals were provided with either air (n = 10), oxygen (n = 12), or carbogen (97.5% O₂ and 2.5% CO₂) gas (n = 8) as breathing gas. Animals breathed a hyperoxic gas (60% O₂-40% N₂) during the escape. Two animals (carbogen group) suffered oxygen convulsions during the escape but recovered on surfacing. Only one case of DCS occurred (carbogen group). The initial bubble score was reduced in the oxygen group (P < 0.001). The period with bubble score of Kisman-Masurel 3 was also significantly reduced in the oxygen group (P < 0.001). Oxygen breathing before submarine escape reduces initial bubble scores, although its significance in reducing central nervous system DCS needs to be investigated further.

submarine escape; decompression sickness; venous gas emboli

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