Doxycycline use to reduce death in DCS cases

[loosenit2]

i thought this was some interesting initial research. The US Naval Medical Research Center is exploring the use of Doxycycline in conjunction with recompression treatment. The initial trials were with swine, but indicated that the administration of doxycycline in cases where there was a delay in getting to a recompression chamber reduced death rate.

The first link below has one slide that summarizes the study thus far (along with a whole lot of other presentations)

https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Portals...ad Booklet 2019.pdf?ver=2019-05-09-121100-303

NMRC Researchers think a Common Antibiotic can Save the Lives of Divers Suffering from Decompression Sickness

 

[Esprise Me]

The drug prevents DCS severity by inhibiting matrix metalloproteinases and modifying leukocyte responses

Can anyone translate that into layman's terms?

 

[drjtprice]

Might be more reason to use doxycycline as an antimalarial in areas where it still works for that purpose. Just in case it has other side benefits to reducing malaria risk...

 

[uncfnp]

I admit my statistical analysis courses were many years ago but this seems odd...

“Johnson and his colleagues, conclude doxycycline reduces mortality, although this effect was not statistical significant.”

Conclude doxy reduces mortality but not statistically significant. So how the heck did they make that conclusion?

 

[drjtprice]

Usually it means it did not meet the standard of p<.05 (in some fields, like the hunt for Higg's Boson, the p value desired was even higher). Basically, the odds of achieving the result by chance alone being less than 5 in 100. Without knowing the sample size (to assess statistical power), the test performed, and the p value it is hard to assess.

 

[Seaweed Doc]

Can anyone translate that into layman's terms?

I think (not an MD) that it basically means it stops your body from destroying itself in response to the "insult" of a bubble.

 

[runsongas]

seems like there are multiple studies on whether ketogenic diets prevent CNS o2 toxicity.

one on developing a portable, collapsible chamber.

and one on Viagra to prevent IPE. i'm sure that one isn't awkward.

 

[drjtprice]

At risk of taking the thread even more off topic there was research showing Viagra could reduce jet lag...in hamsters

 

[Addicted2H2O]

Okay great now it's possible an antibiotic can reduce DCS mortality rate when getting to a chamber is delayed. Wouldn't it be a better option to perform in-water recompression at that point?

 

[happy-diver]

Just remember that not much of any treatment is going to save anyone
when you've messed up real bad and all your heart has to pump is froth