Inflammatoriska Och Neurokemiska förändringar Vid ökat Omgivningstryck

When diving with compressed air, a continuous accumulation of nitrogen will take place in the body. The total uptake of nitrogen by the tissues is dependent on the duration and depth of the performed dive. During prolonged exposure to hyperbaric conditions the body eventually will become saturated with nitrogen. In a hyperbaric environment corresponding to a depth of 30 meters seawater, nitrogen saturation could be expected after about 24 hours. Decompression can cause accumulated nitrogen to form intravascular bubbles.

It has long been considered that decompression sickness (DCS) is caused by bubble formation when dissolved nitrogen at the end of diving comes out of solution. Doppler ultrasound techniques have shown that intravascular gas bubbles could exist even after uneventful dives. Therefore, additional pathophysiological factors must be sought.

Dehydration is a common finding after diving in water. It is probably caused by a combination of a non-existent water intake during diving and a physiologically increased urine production, caused by the increased ambient pressure.

There is evidence of an increased inflammatory activity in blood after diving. Signs of neutrophil activation is a common finding. It is not known if hyperbaric exposure in itself is enough to elicit these biochemical changes or if the presence of intravascular nitrogen bubbles is needed.

Studies have shown that biochemical markers of central nervous system (CNS) injury can be detected in blood samples obtained from patients with DCS, metabolic and neurologic disease, during cardiac surgery and after traumatic brain injuries. Such markers can also be seen in blood after sport activities like boxing and breath hold diving. If biochemical markers of CNS injury will be present in blood after hyperbaric exposure is not known.