Effect of tidal volume on gas exchange during rescue ventilation.

Tidal volume V required for mouth-to-mouth (MTM) and bag-valve-mask (BVM) rescue ventilation remains debatable owing to differences in physiology and end-point objectives. Analysis of gas transport may clarify minimum necessary V and its determinants. Alveolar and arterial O and CO responses to MTM and air BVM ventilation for V between 0.

Breath-Hold Diving.

Breath-hold diving is practiced by recreational divers, seafood divers, military divers, and competitive athletes. It involves highly integrated physiology and extreme responses. This article reviews human breath-hold diving physiology beginning with an historical overview followed by a summary of foundational research and a survey of some contemporary issues.

Fast or Slow Rescue Ventilations: A Predictive Model of Gastric Inflation.

Background: Rescue ventilations are given during respiratory and cardiac arrest. Tidal volume must assure oxygen delivery; however, excessive pressure applied to an unprotected airway can cause gastric inflation, regurgitation, and pulmonary aspiration. The optimal technique provides mouth pressure and breath duration that minimize gastric inflation.

Lung compression effects on gas exchange in human breath-hold diving.

Lung compression during breath-hold diving reduces gas exchanging surface area. Beyond a critical depth, collapse of all alveoli should result in total pulmonary shunt and a drop in arterial oxygen partial pressure toward the mixed-venous level. The effect of lung collapse on human breath-hold diving capability is analysed using a computational model of the lungs and circulation that simulates oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen exchange between alveoli, blood, and tissues.

Mechanics of airway and alveolar collapse in human breath-hold diving.

A computational model of the human respiratory tract was developed to study airway and alveolar compression and re-expansion during deep breath-hold dives. The model incorporates the chest wall, supraglottic airway, trachea, branched airway tree, and elastic alveoli assigned time-dependent surfactant properties. Total lung collapse with degassing of all alveoli is predicted to occur around 235 m, much deeper than estimates for aquatic mammals.

Computer simulation of human breath-hold diving: cardiovascular adjustments.

The world record for a sled-assisted human breath-hold dive has surpassed 200 m. Lung compression during descent draws blood from the peripheral circulation into the thorax causing engorgement of pulmonary vessels that might impose a physiological limitation due to capillary stress failure. A computer model was developed to investigate cardiopulmonary interactions during immersion, apnea, and compression to elucidate hemodynamic responses and estimate vascular stresses in deep human breath-hold diving.