Decompression procedures for transfer under pressure ('TUP') diving.

Background: There is an increasing interest in 'transfer under pressure' (TUP) decompression in commercial diving, bridging traditional surface-oriented diving and saturation diving. In TUP diving the diver is surfaced in a closed bell and transferred isobarically to a pressure chamber for final decompression to surface pressure.

Methods: Tables for air diving and air and oxygen decompression have been compared for total decompression time (TDT), oxygen breathing time as well as high and low gradient factors (GF high and low).

Validation of decompression procedures based on detection of venous gas bubbles: A Bayesian approach.

Introduction: Verification of new decompression procedures has traditionally been based on observing the occurrence of decompression sickness (DCS) in test dives. Several hundred exposures are required to determine the safety of a procedure with any degree of certainty. The number of venous gas emboli (VGE) corresponds with the risk of getting DCS and detection of VGE has been used as an alternative method for validation of decompression procedures.