Doppler Base Dive Computer - Is it possible?

[iceaxe]

As everyone has stated so far, what a computer does is calculate how much nitrogen is dissolved in your body tissues (blood being one of those tissues). An ultrasound w/Doppler can not tell you how much nitrogen is dissolved in your blood and more over, it won't be able to tell how much nitrogen is dissolved in other tissues i.e nervous tissue, fat, muscle etc. All of these tissues absorb and release nitrogen at different rates. If bubbles were to show up on an ultrasound/doppler, it would already be too late as the nitrogen would have come out of solution and could cause an emboli--this what computers are supposed to help you avoid. In short, if you have ANY bubbles in your system, you shouldn't be diving.

Even if there was a way to accurately determine the exact partial pressure of nitrogen in all of your tissues, there are still other factors to consider (when do micro bubbles begin to form and at what point do they become unacceptably dangerous?). Truthfully, what you speak of is what every computer manufacturer is trying to do-- give you the most amount of bottom time with out subjecting you to unnecessary risk.

 

[Notso_Ken]

But wouldn't you have a safer and more accurate dive profile if your dive time was based on the nitrogen bubbles in your system? I think that would eliminate alot of the errors in dive profiles.

Lock Washer

NO!!! You do NOT have bubbles in the blood until it is too late. Once they're there to detect and you start surfacing, it is WAYYY too late.


Let's see, my dive computer says I've got bubbleds forming, I'd better surface from 100 feet now . . . Good way to get bent.

Ken

 

[Mark Vlahos]

Hey Guys,

Wanted to throw out this hypothetical question. Would it be possible to design and manufacture a dive computer that has a algorithm that is base on readings from a doppler scope. I think a computer that can directly read the nitrogen bubbles in your blood stream and base your dive profile would be the most accurate and safest computer there is. Would it be possible to incorporate a dive computer and doppler scope in one unit? Any thoughts on this.

Lock Washer

Would it be possible? Yes, given enough time and money, anything is possible.

Would it be practical? No.

Mark Vlahos