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Assessment of Pulmonary Capillary Blood Volume, Membrane Diffusing Capacity, and Intrapulmonary Arteriovenous Anastomoses During Exercise
Published on: February 20, 2017
The effect of pre-dive exercise timing, intensity and mode on post-decompression venous gas emboli
Karen M Jurd1, Julian C Thacker, Fiona M Seddon
1Principal Investigator, QinetiQ Haslar, Gosport, Hants, United Kingdom, PO12 2AG, Phone: +44-(0)2392-335152, Fax: +44-(0)2392-335192,
Introduction:
The effect of pre-dive exercise on post-decompression venous gas emboli (VGE) remains contentious. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of timing, intensity and mode of exercise before diving on post-decompression VGE production.
Methods:
Fifteen male volunteers performed three identical 100 min chamber dives to 18 metres' sea water. Two of the three dives were conducted with prior exercise at 24 or 2 h; a dive without prior exercise formed the control. Moderate-intensity impact exercise consisted of jogging on the spot for one minute followed by ten star jumps, repeated for a total of 40 min at 70% of maximum heart rate. Post-dive Doppler monitoring began within 2 min of surfacing and was carried out for at least 180 min. VGE were assessed using the Kisman-Masurel (KM) code and the Kisman Integrated Severity Score (KISS).
Results:
The median peak KM grade for each condition following the dives was not significantly different. Pre-dive exercise at 2 h resulted in a significant reduction in the mean KISS compared to the control (11.3 versus 17.2, P < 0.04, Wilcoxon sign-ranked test). Moderate-intensity jogging/star jump exercise used in this series of dives resulted in significantly lower mean KISS (11.3 versus 21.8, P < 0.04) and median KM grade over 180 min (P < 0.006, Mann Whitney U test) compared to high intensity cycling exercise used previously.
Conclusions:
This study suggests that moderate-intensity impact exercise reduces VGE production when conducted 2 h prior to diving.
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