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The interactions between pressure and anaesthetics.

R A Smith, B A Dodson, K W Miller

    Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
    |January 7, 1984
    PubMed
    Summary

    Helium postpones pressure paralysis in aquatic animals. Adding anesthetic gases to helium in mammals dose-dependently delays high pressure neurological syndrome (h.p.n.s.) phases, with tonic convulsions most affected.

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    Area of Science:

    • Physiology
    • Marine Biology
    • High-Pressure Physics

    Background:

    • Hydrostatic pressure during diving causes animal excitation, limiting depth.
    • Inert gases may modify pressure's excitatory effects.
    • High Pressure Neurological Syndrome (h.p.n.s.) is a complex condition affecting divers.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate how different inert gases modify pressure-induced excitation.
    • To determine the effect of anesthetic gases on the high pressure neurological syndrome (h.p.n.s.) in mammals.
    • To understand the relationship between gas composition and h.p.n.s. phase sensitivity.

    Main Methods:

    • Tested helium's effect on pressure-induced paralysis in aquatic animals.
    • Compressed mammals with helium and five anesthetic gases (nitrogen, argon, nitrous oxide, carbon tetrafluoride, sulfur hexafluoride).
    • Measured the median pressure for four distinct phases of h.p.n.s.: complete spasms, clonic convulsions, tonic convulsions, and non-tonic death.

    Main Results:

    • Helium postponed pressure paralysis by approximately 35 atm in aquatic animals.
    • All tested anesthetic gases elevated the median pressure for h.p.n.s. phases dose-dependently.
    • Tonic convulsions were most sensitive, with median pressure elevated ~3x more than spasms or non-tonic death by anesthetic gases.

    Conclusions:

    • Inert gases protect against h.p.n.s., but different phases respond variably.
    • Adding a second inert gas to helium increases pressure tolerance but is limited by narcosis.
    • Optimal therapeutic gas mixtures for diving are pressure-dependent and phase-specific.

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