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Training Rats to Voluntarily Dive Underwater: Investigations of the Mammalian Diving Response

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Published on: November 12, 2014

Preconditioning to Reduce Decompression Stress in Scuba Divers.

Peter Germonpré, Costantino Balestra

Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance

|January 19, 2017

Summary

Preconditioning divers with heat, vibration, or dark chocolate can reduce vascular gas emboli (VGE) and improve vascular function. These interventions offer potential strategies to mitigate decompression stress and enhance diver safety.

Area of Science:

Physiology
Diving Medicine
Cardiovascular Research

Background:

Scuba diving can lead to vascular gas emboli (VGE) and endothelial dysfunction, increasing decompression sickness (DCS) risk.
Significant individual variability exists in VGE formation, suggesting potential for pre-dive interventions.
Previous research indicates pre-dive interventions can reduce VGE, targeting either VGE quantity or inflammatory markers.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the effects of three distinct preconditioning methods on VGE and flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in divers.
To assess the efficacy of heat exposure, whole-body vibration, and dark chocolate as pre-dive interventions.
To determine if preconditioning can mitigate physiological stress associated with scuba diving.

Main Methods:

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Training Rats to Voluntarily Dive Underwater: Investigations of the Mammalian Diving Response

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Nine male divers with consistent post-dive VGE underwent a standardized deep pool dive (33m/108ft).

Three preconditioning interventions (sauna, vibration, dark chocolate) were administered in a randomized order on separate days.

Control dives without preconditioning were conducted for comparison.

Main Results:

Whole-body vibration significantly reduced VGE by 39.54% but did not affect FMD.
Heat exposure (sauna) reduced VGE by 26.64% and improved FMD by 102.7%.
Dark chocolate ingestion improved FMD by 102.5% but had no significant effect on VGE.

Conclusions:

Preconditioning interventions can selectively impact VGE and endothelial function in divers.
Heat exposure and dark chocolate show promise in mitigating diving-induced physiological stress.
Endothelial dysfunction in divers may not be solely attributable to vascular gas emboli.