Lots of dive places advertise that they have hot tubs, but, since fluids saturate with gases sooner at higher temperatures, wouldn't being hot after a dive increase the risk of bends?
brandon
brandon
Hot Tubbing
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wrecNcaver
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I have a hot tub at home and it is a absolute no-no to use after diving. Same as a very hot shower. It can increase the chances of DCS. It may be very tempting but one cannot dive and use the hot tub the same day safely.
Dr Deco
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Dear Readers
This is a much-discussed and controversial subject. There is some laboratory data that support the principle that hot water after a cold dive is a bad idea, and it appears in the abstract below (shortened from the original).
Dr Deco :doctor:
Mekjavic IB, Kakitsuba N. Effect of peripheral temperature on the formation of venous gas bubbles. Undersea Biomed Res 1989 Sep;16(5):391-401
Temperature of the tissue affects the many components involved in the formation of tissue gas phase formation: diffusion, perfusion, and inert gas solubility. Since the effects of perfusion and inert gas solubility may be counteracting in terms of enhancing growth of gas bubbles, the optimal thermal status of divers throughout a dive remains unresolved. To elucidate the role of peripheral body temperature on gas phase formation, four subjects were exposed to a 10 degree and 40 degree C environment for 3 h on two separate occasions, after a no-stop
decompression from a 12-h dive to 9.14 m (30 fsw) on air. Gas bubbles in the venous return were monitored with a Doppler ultrasonic transducer
Venous bubbles were only detected in 1 subject following the warm air exposure, whereas 3 of the 4 subjects developed Doppler-detectable bubbles during the cold air exposure. Although both the cold and warm air exposures (3 h post decompression) were uneventful, a hot shower taken by the subjects on completion of the cold air exposure (6 h post decompression) precipitated mild type I symptoms of decompression sickness. These symptoms were not present after a hot shower following the warm air exposure.
The present results indicate that despite the assumed greater inert gas solubility of tissues expected during cold air
exposure, the decrease in the perfusion may have played a more significant role in the observed levels of detectable venous gas bubbles. Development of type I symptoms following a 12-h saturation, a 3-h cold exposure, and a subsequent hot
shower suggests that a rapid rise in peripheral temperature may cause a significant rise in tissue gas tension. This increase in tension does not seem to be sufficiently reduced by increased perfusion to the tissues to prevent bubble formation.
This is a much-discussed and controversial subject. There is some laboratory data that support the principle that hot water after a cold dive is a bad idea, and it appears in the abstract below (shortened from the original).
Dr Deco :doctor:
Mekjavic IB, Kakitsuba N. Effect of peripheral temperature on the formation of venous gas bubbles. Undersea Biomed Res 1989 Sep;16(5):391-401
Temperature of the tissue affects the many components involved in the formation of tissue gas phase formation: diffusion, perfusion, and inert gas solubility. Since the effects of perfusion and inert gas solubility may be counteracting in terms of enhancing growth of gas bubbles, the optimal thermal status of divers throughout a dive remains unresolved. To elucidate the role of peripheral body temperature on gas phase formation, four subjects were exposed to a 10 degree and 40 degree C environment for 3 h on two separate occasions, after a no-stop
decompression from a 12-h dive to 9.14 m (30 fsw) on air. Gas bubbles in the venous return were monitored with a Doppler ultrasonic transducer
Venous bubbles were only detected in 1 subject following the warm air exposure, whereas 3 of the 4 subjects developed Doppler-detectable bubbles during the cold air exposure. Although both the cold and warm air exposures (3 h post decompression) were uneventful, a hot shower taken by the subjects on completion of the cold air exposure (6 h post decompression) precipitated mild type I symptoms of decompression sickness. These symptoms were not present after a hot shower following the warm air exposure.
The present results indicate that despite the assumed greater inert gas solubility of tissues expected during cold air
exposure, the decrease in the perfusion may have played a more significant role in the observed levels of detectable venous gas bubbles. Development of type I symptoms following a 12-h saturation, a 3-h cold exposure, and a subsequent hot
shower suggests that a rapid rise in peripheral temperature may cause a significant rise in tissue gas tension. This increase in tension does not seem to be sufficiently reduced by increased perfusion to the tissues to prevent bubble formation.
art.chick
Contributor
Do you know how sad this makes me? I book boats with hot tubs specifically because the cold air after the dive "gets into my bones." I love to be the first in that hot water. So I guess the risk would be somewhat reduced if you waited for an hour or so?
Are we talking only potential skin bends here? Avoid hot tubbing the same day of a dive?
Dr Deco
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Dear UnclePug:
This HOT TUB issue is certainly a hot potato. It appears that individuals who are hot during gas uptake and cold during elimination are at risk for DCS. The question of hot tubs and DCS is one of cold (or a little warm) during the bottom and quite hot on the surface.
Bubble formation in tissue is generally a combination of micronuclei and nitrogen supersaturation. There is always an interplay.
In the paper indicated above by Igor Mekjavic (see 5-7-2002; Mekjavic IB, Kakitsuba N. Effect of peripheral temperature on the formation of venous gas bubbles. Undersea Biomed Res 1989 Sep; 16(5): 391-401), we have a case where the individuals moved little during the saturation, and the cold period that followed. This was then followed by the warm air (or hot tub) and some nuclei generation (with movement of the test subjects to another location). Since the test subjects were cold, the blood flow would not have been very good and the nitrogen would not have been eliminated. It would have persisted in the tissues but there would not have been bubble growth because of the lack of microbubble seeds.
With hot tubs and recreational divers, we could have a bad situation if the diver took on a considerable amount of nitrogen and then walked some distance to the hot tub. The truth is, this situation is not clear and the US Navy is investigating the warm diver/cold diver question. The jury is still out.
Dr Deco
:doctor:
This HOT TUB issue is certainly a hot potato. It appears that individuals who are hot during gas uptake and cold during elimination are at risk for DCS. The question of hot tubs and DCS is one of cold (or a little warm) during the bottom and quite hot on the surface.
Bubble formation in tissue is generally a combination of micronuclei and nitrogen supersaturation. There is always an interplay.
In the paper indicated above by Igor Mekjavic (see 5-7-2002; Mekjavic IB, Kakitsuba N. Effect of peripheral temperature on the formation of venous gas bubbles. Undersea Biomed Res 1989 Sep; 16(5): 391-401), we have a case where the individuals moved little during the saturation, and the cold period that followed. This was then followed by the warm air (or hot tub) and some nuclei generation (with movement of the test subjects to another location). Since the test subjects were cold, the blood flow would not have been very good and the nitrogen would not have been eliminated. It would have persisted in the tissues but there would not have been bubble growth because of the lack of microbubble seeds.
With hot tubs and recreational divers, we could have a bad situation if the diver took on a considerable amount of nitrogen and then walked some distance to the hot tub. The truth is, this situation is not clear and the US Navy is investigating the warm diver/cold diver question. The jury is still out.
Dr Deco
:doctor:
art.chick
Contributor
So how would that translate for those of us who dive in COLD water in HOT climates (ie California)? We show up at a beach that is 90F, put on a hotter than hell suit, listen to a briefing, then jump into water that starts at 64F, & gets to 57F or so at the thermocline. Then we exert, exit, & face 95F temps crossing the sand to offgas? No tub, but plenty of hot!
Zept
Contributor
Being in hot air isn't as bad as being in hot water. You probably know that you lose heat much more quickly in water than you do in air. Same goes for gaining heat... you don't gain it nearly as quickly from air. Of course, you're still going to want to get out of the sun before it dehydrates you, burns you, gives you heat stroke and frizzles your brain!
Zept
BradfordNC
Contributor
And i just bought a new hot tub.
oh well, guess i won't have any post-dive hot tub parties.
oh well, guess i won't have any post-dive hot tub parties.
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