Key result
A mathematical model of extravascular bubble evolution indicated that bubbles resolve most rapidly in spinal, adipose, and aqueous tissues when the breathing gas is switched to pure O2 after surfacing.
A multigas-multipressure mathematical model suggests that switching to pure O2 resolves decompression bubbles more rapidly than heliox, highlighting a discrepancy with previous in vivo rat experiments.
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Model predicts faster bubble resolution with post-dive O2; leaves open translation to decompression sickness outcomes.
Observations of bubble evolution in rats after decompression from air dives (O. Hyldegaard and J. Madsen. Undersea Biomed. Res. 16: 185-193, 1989; O. Hyldegaard and J. Madsen. Undersea Hyperbaric Med. 21: 413-424, 1994; O. Hyldegaard, M. Moller, and J. Madsen. Undersea Biomed. Res. 18: 361-371, 1991) suggest that bubbles may resolve more safely when the breathing gas is a heliox mixture than when it is pure O(2). This is due to a transient period of bubble growth seen during switches to O(2) breathing. In an attempt to understand these experimental results, we have developed a multigas-multipressure mathematical model of bubble evolution, which consists of a bubble in a well-stirred liquid. The liquid exchanges gas with the bubble via diffusion, and the exchange between liquid and blood is described by a single-exponential time constant for each inert gas. The model indicates that bubbles resolve most rapidly in spinal tissue, in adipose tissue, and in aqueous tissues when the breathing gas is switched to O(2) after surfacing. In addition, the model suggests that switching to heliox breathing may prolong the existence of the bubble relative to breathing air for bubbles in spinal and adipose tissues. Some possible explanations for the discrepancy between model and experiment are discussed.
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Himm et al. (1999) studied Extravascular bubble evolution. Breathing gas composition (O2 vs heliox) vs. Air was evaluated on Bubble resolution. A mathematical model of extravascular bubble evolution indicated that bubbles resolve most rapidly in spinal, adipose, and aqueous tissues when the breathing gas is switched to pure O2 after surfacing.
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