Deadly diving? Physiological and behavioural management of decompression stress in diving mammals.

Decompression sickness (DCS; 'the bends') is a disease associated with gas uptake at pressure. The basic pathology and cause are relatively well known to human divers. Breath-hold diving marine mammals were thought to be relatively immune to DCS owing to multiple anatomical, physiological and behavioural adaptations that reduce nitrogen gas (N(2)) loading during dives. However, recent observations have shown that gas bubbles may form and tissue injury may occur in marine mammals under certain circumstances. Gas kinetic models based on measured time-depth profiles further suggest the potential occurrence of high blood and tissue N(2) tensions. We review evidence for gas-bubble incidence in marine mammal tissues and discuss the theory behind gas loading and bubble formation. We suggest that diving mammals vary their physiological responses according to multiple stressors, and that the perspective on marine mammal diving physiology should change from simply minimizing N(2) loading to management of the N(2) load. This suggests several avenues for further study, ranging from the effects of gas bubbles at molecular, cellular and organ function levels, to comparative studies relating the presence/absence of gas bubbles to diving behaviour. Technological advances in imaging and remote instrumentation are likely to advance this field in coming years.

Risk of decompression sickness in extreme human breath-hold diving.

The risk of decompression sickness (DCS) in human breath-hold diving is expected to increase as dives progress deeper until a depth is reached where total lung collapse stops additional nitrogen gas uptake. We assembled a database of all documented human breath-hold dives to 100 metres or greater, including both practice and record dives. Between 1976 and 2006 there were 192 such dives confirmed by 24 divers (18 male, 6 female). The deepest dive was to 209 metres. There were two drowning fatalities, and two cases ofDCS. Depth-time risk estimates for DCS were derived for single breath-hold dives by modifying probabilistic decompression models calibrated with data from short deep no-stop air dives and submarine escape trials using maximum-likelihood estimation. Arterial nitrogen levels during apnea were adjusted for lung compression and decreased cardiac output. Predicted DCS risk is negligible up to about 100 metres, beyond which risk increases nonlinearly and reaches a plateau around 5 to 7 percent when total lung collapse occurs beyond 230 metres. Results are consistent with data available from deep breath-hold dives.

Adverse events in competitive breath-hold diving.

Medical observations are reported from an eight-day world championship breath-hold diving competition involving 57 participants. The deepest dive was to 75 metres, and the longest breath-hold time exceeded 9 minutes. There were 35 diving-related adverse events witnessed or reported, including transient loss of motor control due to hypoxia, syncope during ascent, hemoptysis, and pulmonary edema. All events occurred in healthy individuals, and resolved without apparent sequelae. There was no relationship between symptoms and depth. The medical implications of these adverse events are discussed. Despite the inherent risks of the sport, established organizational procedures for competitive breath-hold diving maintain a high degree of safety.

Optimizing athletic performance by influence curves.

Recent application of modeling techniques to physical training has opened the possibility for prediction from training. Solution of the inverse problem, determining a training program to produce a desired performance at a specific time, is also possible and may yield strategies for achieving better training and tapering (complete or relative rest for a period before competition) regimens for competitive athletes. A mathematical technique derived from model theory is described in this paper that allows the design of an optimal strategy of physical preparation for an individual to do well in a single future competitive event or cluster of events. Simulation results, using default parameters of a training model, suggest that presently accepted forms of taper for competition may remain too rigorous and short in duration to achieve the best result possible from the training undertaken.

Modeling human performance in running.

This paper focuses on the characteristics of a model interpreting the effect of training on athletic performance. The model theory is presented both mathematically and graphically. In the model, a systematically quantified impulse of training produces dual responses: fitness and fatigue. In the absence of training, both decay exponentially with time. With repetitive training, these responses satisfy individual recurrence equations. Fitness and fatigue are combined in a simple linear difference equation to predict performance levels appropriate to the intensity of training being undertaken. Significant observed correlation of model-predicted performance with a measure of actual performance during both training and tapering provides validation of the model for athletes and nonathletes alike. This enables specific model parameters to be estimated and can be used to optimize future training regimens for any individual.