Validity of cycle test in air compared to underwater cycling

According to international guidelines, fitness to dive is generally assessed using a bicycle stress test (BST) in air. To date, there is no study explicitly addressing the question whether the results of a BST in air really predict performance status under water. Therefore, the aim of the present study was twofold: first, to design an experimental setting allowing the examination of physical performance status under water, and second, to examine whether there is an association of response to exercise in air compared to exercise under water using self contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA). We constructed and evaluated a measurement technique for a bicycle ergometry and for gas analysis under water. Part of the work was the development of a new valve system which allowed to collect the exhaled air in total and to transport it to the spirometer next to the pool. Twenty-eight healthy male divers underwent a BST. Compared to a given workload in air, gross capacity decreased significantly by about 50% underwater. High performance in air was associated with a high performance underwater. The examinations were carried out without any complications. In conclusion, our experimental setting allowed the safe and reliable examination of physical performance status under water. First results indicate that the results of a BST in air correlate well with the cardio-circulatory performance status underwater. A subsequent study with a larger sample size will enable us to more precisely model this correlation.