Oxygen breathing accelerates decompression from saturation at 40 msw in 70-kg swine.
BACKGROUND
Submarine disaster survivors can be transferred from a disabled submarine at a pressure of 40 meters of seawater (msw) to a new rescue vehicle; however, they face an inherently risky surface interval before recompression and an enormous decompression obligation due to a high likelihood of saturation. The goal was to design a safe decompression protocol using oxygen breathing and a trial-and-error methodology. We hypothesized that depth, timing, and duration of oxygen breathing during decompression from saturation play a role to mitigate decompression outcomes.


METHODS
Yorkshire swine (67-75 kg), compressed to 40 msw for 22 h, underwent one of three accelerated decompression profiles: (1) 13.3 h staged air decompression to 18 msw, followed by 1 h oxygen breathing, then dropout; (2) direct decompression to 18 msw followed by 1 h oxygen breathing then dropout; and (3) 1 h oxygen prebreathe at 40 msw followed by 1 h mixed gas breathing at 26 msw, 1 h oxygen breathing at 18 msw, and 1 h ascent breathing oxygen. Animals underwent 2-h observation for signs of DCS.


RESULTS
Profile 1 (14.3 h total) resulted in no deaths, no Type II DCS, and 20% Type I DCS. Profile 2 (2.1 h total) resulted in 13% death, 50% Type II DCS, and 75% Type I DCS. Profile 3 (4.5 h total) resulted in 14% death, 21% Type II DCS, and 57% Type I DCS. No oxygen associated seizures occurred.


CONCLUSIONS
Profile 1 performed best, shortening decompression with no death or severe DCS, yet it may still exceed emergency operational utility in an actual submarine rescue.
Petersen
Kyle
K
Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA. kyle.petersen@med.navy.mil
Soutiere
Shawn E
SE
Tucker
Kathryn E
KE
Dainer
Hugh M
HM
Mahon
Richard T
RT
D000818:Animals; D003664:Decompression / Q000379:methods*; D003665:Decompression Sickness / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008297:Male; D010100:Oxygen / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D013552:Swine
D010100:Oxygen