Influence of bottom time on preflight surface intervals before flying after diving.

Previous trials of flying at 8,000 ft after a single 60 fsw, 55 min no-stop air dive found low decompression sickness (DCS) risk for a 11:00 preflight surface interval (PFSI). Repetitive 60 fsw no-stop dives with 75 and 95 min total bottom times found 16:00. Trials reported here investigated PFSIs for a 60 fsw, 40 min no-stop dive and a 60 fsw, 120 min decompression dive. The 40 min trials began with a 12:05 PFSI (USN guideline) which was incrementally reduced to 0:05 (three DCS incidents in 281 trials). The 120 min trials began with a 22:46 PFSI (USN guideline) which was reduced to 2:00 (nine incidents in 281 trials); 2:00 was rejected with six incidents. Low-risk PFSIs for the 40 min dive were nearly 12 hours shorter than for the 55 min dive, and low-risk PFSIs for the single 120 min decompression dive were 12 hours shorter than for the 75-95 min repetitive dives. With the dry, resting conditions of these dives, low-risk PFSIs appeared to be sensitive to dive profile characteristics such as bottom time, repetitive diving, and decompression stops. Whether this is so for wet, working dives is unknown.

Duke Scholars

Author Carl F. Pieper Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Division of Biostatistics

Author John Jacob Freiberger Anesthesiology