Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Search research articles

Related Experiment Videos

Equivalent air depth: fact or fiction.

T E Berghage, T M McCraken

Undersea Biomedical Research

|December 1, 1979

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The equivalent air depth (EAD) concept in diving is challenged by new research. Studies show breathing higher oxygen levels offers decompression benefits beyond EAD predictions, suggesting a nonlinear effect of oxygen.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Emotional stability during a chamber saturation dive to 49.5 atmospheres absolute.

The Journal of applied psychology·1979

Same author

Visual recognition thresholds in a compressed air environment.

Aviation, space, and environmental medicine·1979

Same author

Use of oxygen for optimizing decompression.

Undersea biomedical research·1979

Same author

Species differences in decompression.

Undersea biomedical research·1979

Same author

Pressure reduction limits for rats subjected to various time/pressure exposures.

Undersea biomedical research·1978

Same author

Gas elimination during a single-stage decompression.

Aviation, space, and environmental medicine·1978

Same journal

Saturation decompression schedules based on a critical tissue supersaturation criterion.

Undersea biomedical research·1992

Same journal

The Americans with Disabilities Act and the injured diver.

Undersea biomedical research·1992

Same journal

Description and evaluation of a simple method for microbiological studies on otitis externa.

Undersea biomedical research·1992

Same journal

Posterior shoulder dislocation and humeral head necrosis in a recreational scuba diver with diabetes.

Undersea biomedical research·1992

Same journal

Pneumothorax as a complication of recompression therapy for cerebral arterial gas embolism.

Undersea biomedical research·1992

Same journal

Physiologically and subjectively acceptable breathing resistance in divers' breathing gear.

Undersea biomedical research·1992

See all related articles

Area of Science:

Physiology
Diving Medicine
Biomedical Engineering

Background:

The Equivalent Air Depth (EAD) model simplifies mixed-gas decompression by excluding oxygen's contribution to tissue gas tension.
This model assumes oxygen does not impact decompression profiles, a principle widely used in dive planning.

Purpose of the Study:

To experimentally validate the assumption that oxygen can be disregarded in Equivalent Air Depth (EAD) calculations.
To investigate the actual effects of varying oxygen partial pressures on decompression tolerance in a controlled setting.

Main Methods:

365 rats were exposed to diverse oxygen partial pressures for specified durations.
Pressure reduction tolerance was measured under constant exposure conditions with incremental oxygen changes.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

The study's findings indicate that the EAD concept inadequately represents the decompression advantages of breathing elevated oxygen partial pressures.
Results suggest a nonlinear relationship between oxygen exposure and decompression tolerance, contrary to the EAD assumption.

Conclusions:

The Equivalent Air Depth (EAD) model is insufficient for accurately predicting decompression outcomes with enriched oxygen breathing mixtures.
Oxygen's physiological effects on decompression are complex and vary nonlinearly, necessitating a revised approach beyond simple inert gas replacement theory.