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Status of Research in Underwater Physiology, Prepared for the Office of Naval Research, Washington, D. C. by the Physiology Group, Panel on Underwater Swimmers, Committee on Undersea Warfare (1956) / Chapter Skim
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DECOMPRESSION
Pages 13-19

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From page 13...
... Most conventional air-hose diving and some SCUBA diving falls in this category and all of the Navy's current decompression tables are designed primarily for it. 3.2.1 Regular Decompression Regular decompression implies that all of the decompression stops are made in the water and that the same breathing medium is used throughout.
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From page 14...
... On the other hand, a SCUBA diver who follows the standard decompression table precisely may not invariably receive adequate decompression. The table was not intended to be 100% safe in preventing bends, since allowing for all individuals and all conditions would impose a large burden of unnecessary decompression on the majority.
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From page 15...
... A better means of setting limits and determining proper decompression In repetitive diving is badly needed. An approach to this is provided by tables set forth by French investigators, but these appear to be neither as complete as might be desired nor as well-tested as necessary for outright adoption.
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From page 16...
... However, in preliminary studies with nitrogen-oxygen mixtures, toxic symptoms appeared in much shorter time than when the same partial pressure of oxygen is encountered with pure oxygen as the breathing medium. Subsequent studies indicated that carbon dioxide retention, due to insufficient pulmonary ventilation, was a common occurrence in divers breathing nitrogenoxygen mixtures during work at depth.
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From page 17...
... Constant Partial Pressure of Inspired Oxygen. Maintenance of a given partial pressure of oxygen regardless of the diver's depth would keep the exposure to an inert gas close to the level required to avoid oxygen poisoning at a particular depth.
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From page 18...
... Available methods of computing decompression tables obviously leave much to be desired. The theoretical basis appears to be quite inadequate.
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From page 19...
... The accident is extremely rare, but it has followed routine ascents with conventional submarine escape and deep-sea diving equipment and even ascents in a dry-pressure chamber. Usually air embolism is clearly associated with breathholding or inadequate exhalation during ascent.
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Key Terms

  • breathing medium
  • decompression time
  • decompression sickness
  • partial pressure
  • surface decompression

  • scuba diving
  • decompression table
  • pure oxygen
  • scuba diver
  • oxygen decompression

  • decompression tables
  • decompression stops
  • mean oxygen
  • oxygen exposure
  • air embolism

  • standard decompression
  • regular decompression
  • oxygen poisoning
  • oxygen tension
  • oxygen level

  • oxygen tolerance
  • interrupted oxygen
  • standard air
  • air diving
  • repetitive diving

  • military applications
  • central nervous
  • submarine escape
  • recompression chamber
  • decompression oxygen


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