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Related Concept Videos

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Updated: May 22, 2025

Author Spotlight: Integrating Alveolar-Capillary Reserve Measurements in Exercise Adaptation and Therapeutic Strategies
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Divers with large or normal lungs: is the difference justified?

Pieter-Jan Am van Ooij1,2,3, Robert A van Hulst4

  • 1Diving Medical Centre, Royal Netherlands Navy, Den Helder, the Netherlands.

Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine
|March 16, 2025
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Divers with larger lungs (LLs) do not face a higher risk of decompression illness (DCI) or bullae. This study found no significant differences in DCI or bullae rates between divers with LLs and normal lungs (NLs).

Keywords:
Fitness to diveLung functionMedical conditions and problemsMilitary divingPulmonary barotraumaRisk factors

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Area of Science:

  • Pulmonary physiology
  • Diving medicine
  • Radiology

Background:

  • Divers often exhibit larger lung volumes compared to the general population.
  • Pulmonary barotrauma can lead to bullae or decompression illness (DCI), potentially more frequent in individuals with larger lungs (LLs).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare lung function, high-resolution CT (HRCT) scan findings, fitness-to-dive rates, and DCI prevalence in divers with LLs versus normal lungs (NLs).

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of fitness examinations, lung function tests, and HRCT results from 2011-2020.
  • Divers were categorized into LLs (FVC z-score > 1.96) and NLs (FVC z-score ≤ 1.96).
  • Comparison of bullae, DCI, and unfit-to-dive rates between the two groups.

Main Results:

  • 65 male divers met criteria for LLs out of 1,069 total subjects.
  • LL group showed higher FVC and FEV1 z-scores but a lower FEV1/FVC ratio compared to NLs.
  • No significant differences were observed in the rates of bullae, DCI, or unfit-to-dive between LL and NL groups.

Conclusions:

  • Despite a lower FEV1/FVC ratio in the LL group, bullae and DCI rates were comparable to the NL group.
  • Individuals with LLs do not appear to have an elevated risk of developing bullae or DCI compared to those with NLs.