Pulmonary fluid shifts occur as a result of scuba diving at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Lab

Pulmonary fluid shifts can occur while scuba diving. Such shifts, generally thought to be rare, may result in a life-threatening phenomenon known as immersion pulmonary edema (IPE). This study aims to better classify the normal physiology of diving using ultrasound (US) to determine if these fluid shifts occur routinely during commercial diving work at the NASA Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL).

Chest US was performed on commercial divers prospectively pre- and post-dive to evaluate the presence of B-lines in a total of 12 intercostal points on the anterior, posterior, and lateral chest wall. The number of B-lines at each anatomic site was recorded and scored by two independent reviewers. An increase in the number of B-lines post-dive was considered a positive result.

There were 67 exposures; 39 (58%) had an increase of one or more B-lines post dive; 64% of the female exposures and 57% of the male exposures were positive for B-lines post-dive, suggesting no difference across gender (Fisher's exact; p = 0.763). After the dive, all divers remained asymptomatic.

From our results, fluid shifts can be viewed as a normal, transient, and physiologic process in commercial divers. This correlation can be compared to the formation of low-grade venous gas emboli (VGE) from decompression that does not result in decompression sickness. Further study of US B-lines in symptomatic divers may define the utility of field US in the diagnosis and management of IPE, and help identify associated risk factors.