Why don't elephants get embolisms?

[Kim]

A swimming elephant effectively snorkels. The air it breathes through it's trunk is at 1ATA. However, the rest of it's body, the blood vessels etc, are at a far higher pressure because it's a number of meters UW. How does the elephant therefore manage to effect the oxygen transference between it's lungs...at 1ATA...and it's bloodstream...at a far higher pressure....without the blood vessel walls popping?

(not sure if this is really the right forum for this, if not, feel free to move it! )

 

[LI Diver]

Why would they pop? If the elephant was breathing compressed air at depth and surfaced quickly I would see a problem but your paciderm is just on snuba!

 

[Kim]

Why would they pop? If the elephant was breathing compressed air at depth and surfaced quickly I would see a problem but your paciderm is just on snuba!

They could pop because the pressure on their vascular system is far higher than the 1ATA in their lungs. Believe me.....IF you could snorkel air from the surface at the depths a swimming elephants body is at.....you'd die. You wouldn't be able to though, because of the pressure difference. However, they can, and do. Remember....this isn't compressed air we're talking about....just plain old 1ATA.

 

[Kim]

To be fair....maybe a sort of "reverse embolism" where the blood bursts into the lungs, rather than the air bursting out, would be a more accurate description of what I'm trying to highlight.

 

[LI Diver]

Ok I think I get it.. it would be an embolism inside the lung where the o2 transfer takes place ,alveoli or whatever. Ok but does the external pressure being exerted on the outside of the body actully raise the pressure within a blood vessel (your blood pressure) are you saying that the size of the vessel reduces but with the volume of blood stays the same hence higher pressure?

 

[fisherdvm]

I think before they dive, baby elephants get certified in scuba. Fortunately, NAUI got the contract, therefore, very few elephants get barotrauma. If the elephants went it cheap, and did PADI, we certainly would see a higher incidence of barotrauma, and much more rototilling..

You get what you paid for

Old geezer want to be.

 

[Kim]

Ok I think I get it.. it would be an embolism inside the lung where the o2 transfer takes place ,alveoli or whatever. Ok but does the external pressure being exerted on the outside of the body actully raise the pressure within a blood vessel (your blood pressure) are you saying that the size of the vessel reduces but with the volume of blood stays the same hence higher pressure?

Essentially, yes. The blood is a fluid so it doesn't actually compress, it DOES increase in pressure though (as water does). However....the elephant breathes air from the surface through an open airway to it's lungs....hence it's still at 1ATA. That must involve a huge pressure differential between the inside, and outside, of the lung cavity.

 

[LI Diver]

If that was the case wouldn't we all be in danger of anyeourisms in other parts of our bodies when we dive? I mean just because the air we breathe is at the right pressure what about our other cavities? Does everything compress equally?

 

[fisherdvm]

I think, the pressure differential outside the body is slightly greater than 1 atm, and the pressure inside the lung is 1 atm.

The effect would be similar to that of diving helmets that you see tourists wear. Essentially, the cartilage inside the trunk, the skin around the pharynx, the cartilage in the trachea, and the bones in the ribs - all function like the glass dome of the diving helmet. Essentially maintaining a differential between the outside and the inside.

So the body is maintained essentially at 1 atm. Despite the outside pressure slightly higher than 1 atm.

 

[Kim]

If that was the case wouldn't we all be in danger of anyeourisms in other parts of our bodies when we dive? I mean just because the air we breathe is at the right pressure what about our other cavities? Does everything compress equally?

Well...going back to our OW we have open and closed air compartments. The open ones need to equalize, the closed ones simply pressurize (like a free diver does on ALL compartments). The elephant problem is one of inequality....surface 1ATA pressure vs depth pressure. think of your equalizing when you dive. If you can't equalize....the pain becomes so intense you can't dive. The pain is caused by the difference in pressure.

Apparently elephants don't have this problem......