Have deco models gotten as accurate as they're going to get?

[tech_diver]

Given that individual divers vary in their predisposition for decompression sickness by a certain statistical percentage, wouldn't it be correct to think that the accuracy of any decompression model would be limited by that inherent uncertainty?

If scuba divers vary in their statistical susceptibility to decompression sickness by one or two percentage points, doesn't that set the limit for the accuracy of any decompression model's predictions?

We often talk about the gray zone of increasing risk when talking about decompression stress. That while there is no black and white 'safe' line, there are areas of black and areas of white. All models agree that 15 minutes at 60 feet is generally safe without decompression while 215 minutes at 60 feet is not.

New research and new models are helping to map the shape of the black and the white depth/time/deco envelope in greater detail. But isn't it possible that part of the gray zone is statistically impenetrable for any model that only tracks three or four variables, regardless of its algorithm?

I would be interested in hearing thoughts from our deco experts but off-topic rants, flame and nasty arguments are always entertaining as well.

 

[261311]

Not an expert (clearly) but I'm going to say that the information we have probably won't stay "static" forever. It may not move at the pace we've been seeing it move in the last century but the more we learn about scuba, physiology and the pressures we endure, the more we'll be able to update our charts safely. I'd be more curious about testing over the years of things such as surface intervals, diving at altitude and flying after diving and those times. It's just going to be harder in the future to see large leaps in progress because of how much work has already gone into many agency planners/ charts. I'd like to see us mathematically work out a safe exponential curve that we can all simply do in our minds.

 

[supergaijin]

Nanobots- they may well be the next big thing with.... well, pretty much everything 'medical'.

 

[rhwestfall]

hey, tables did a fine job of keeping you safe. They usually kept you out of the water, so that made you safe(r). We should all go back to diving tables, using square profiles, and at recreational no-decompression limits.... easy.....

the models more complex to fit the statistical data better. Its all statistical (with medical theory still developing), so no matter what you choose, you still might be the one (for any strange or common reason) that falls outside the "normal" curve....

 

[nimoh]

While I don't see much changing very soon, technology does not advance on a linear scale (or a very predictable one at that).

Many algorithms are based on estimates of tissue compartments in a generalized manner. What if you could go for a hospital visit, and your body could be scanned for personalized tissue compartment estimates and then cut custom tables for you, or enter this information into your dive computer for a customized profile? Although, I'm guessing some consideration would need to be made for day to day changes such as dehydration.

What if a dive computer could monitor tissue saturation in real time, giving you the absolute maximum no decompression time with no danger of DCS?

I have no reason to believe that any of this is currently being worked on, just dreaming out loud

 

[rhwestfall]

While I don't see much changing very soon, technology does not advance on a linear scale (or a very predictable one at that).

Many algorithms are based on estimates of tissue compartments in a generalized manner. What if you could go for a hospital visit, and your body could be scanned for personalized tissue compartment estimates and then cut custom tables for you, or enter this information into your dive computer for a customized profile? Although, I'm guessing some consideration would need to be made for day to day changes such as dehydration.

What if a dive computer could monitor tissue saturation in real time, giving you the absolute maximum no decompression time with no danger of DCS?

I have no reason to believe that any of this is currently being worked on, just dreaming out loud

Where would the probe go?

 

[chrpai]

I like the nanobot idea. Imagine if you had these in your body and their job was to break down bubbles and assist in off gasing so that there weren't any no decompression limits in the first place.

 

[coldwaterlloyd]

They are bringing back "The Wheel" , greatest breakthrough in PADI history

 

[Doppler]

Not so much the algorithms but our interpretation of them... in that I believe our understanding of how to behave to best avoid decompression issues has grown immensely over the past 20 years or so... and continues to improve. Not much static about that really.

Not sure about Nanobots, but perhaps a blood-gas sensor built into a form of personal dive computer would be cool.

 

[beaverdivers]

The latest new parameter that has been integrated into dive computers is the heart rate and increased workload.

I'm sure that we will continue to see more advances.