Dr Deco
Contributor
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- I just don't log dives
Dear goby:
Doppler Monitoring
The problem with Doppler devices is that they monitor the veins draining all of the tissues (e.g., of the arm). It would be nice it they could monitor only the connective tissue, but this is not possible. Thus, the presence of Doppler bubbles is useful knowledge but not unequivocal proof of DCS. Additionally, the converse is also true. The absence of bubbles is likewise not proof that DCS is absent. A sore arm and many bubbles together is, however, very suspicious - especially if that arm is normally pain-free following physical activity.
In the lab, we perform Doppler studies, a test of pressure, and even then are often at a loss. Sometimes the results are simply written down and we wait untill the whole study study to sort it out.
Researches have sought a fool-proof test for DCS for several decades. This would be especially valuable if it were a blood test. The fact that DCS is very localized and most likely mechanical (i.e., the growth of a gas phase) in nature, at least initially, makes this difficult. That has not stopped us from trying.
Dr Deco :doctor:
Readers, please note the next class in Decompression Physiology :grad:
http://wrigley.usc.edu/hyperbaric/advdeco.htm
Doppler Monitoring
The problem with Doppler devices is that they monitor the veins draining all of the tissues (e.g., of the arm). It would be nice it they could monitor only the connective tissue, but this is not possible. Thus, the presence of Doppler bubbles is useful knowledge but not unequivocal proof of DCS. Additionally, the converse is also true. The absence of bubbles is likewise not proof that DCS is absent. A sore arm and many bubbles together is, however, very suspicious - especially if that arm is normally pain-free following physical activity.
In the lab, we perform Doppler studies, a test of pressure, and even then are often at a loss. Sometimes the results are simply written down and we wait untill the whole study study to sort it out.
Researches have sought a fool-proof test for DCS for several decades. This would be especially valuable if it were a blood test. The fact that DCS is very localized and most likely mechanical (i.e., the growth of a gas phase) in nature, at least initially, makes this difficult. That has not stopped us from trying.
Dr Deco :doctor:
Readers, please note the next class in Decompression Physiology :grad:
http://wrigley.usc.edu/hyperbaric/advdeco.htm
