PubMed · 9765173
The source did not provide an abstract. Follow the original record for more information.
Explore connections, maps & timelines
P Wilmshurst. 1998-10-10. Diving and oxygen.. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.317.7164.996
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.
KEEP EXPLORING
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Saturation divers regularly inspect North Sea installations, working at depth for periods of 12-16 days. Diver's hand is a particular problem in saturation diving, and there is no effective protection or treatment available. This paper presents the occurrence of diver's hand and describes the disease in clinical and epidemiological terms. Three studies of diver's hand have been carried out, in 1990, 1994, and 1995. Most long term saturation divers have had diver's hand at some time in their professional career. Diver's hand seems able to occur without any previous skin symptoms, and divers without diver's hand can have several other skin symptoms during a saturation period. It is likely that diver's hand is a specific phenomenon associated with saturation diving.
Four divers were chosen as subjects to conduct the 1,100 kPa He-O2 simulated saturation dive. Brainstem auditory evoked potentials of the divers were monitored during different stages of the exposure. At 1,100 kPa, with both 10 and 50 Hz clicks, interpeak latencies I-V were prolonged by 0.242 and 0.360 ms, respectively, indicating impedance of synaptic transmission. Results showed that interpeak latencies I-V were prolonged by 0.242 and 0.360 ms, respectively, indicating impedance of synaptic transmission. However, the latency of wave I was shortened by 0.11 ms, which was presumed to be due to different mechanical sound transmission velocity at hyperbaric helium environment. Interestingly, the latency of wave I prolonged gradually during hyperbaric exposure to 1,100 kPa. This might be used for the measurement of effects of hydrostatic pressure and He on the central nervous system (CNS). These changes coupled with easy perspiration and fatigue of the divers suggest that the pressure of the present experiment had certain effects of the CNS on the divers, although they were moderate and temporary.