Urska Gajsek1,2,3, Arne Sieber4,5, Zarko Finderle2. 1. Department of Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney, Australia. 2. Institute of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia. 3. Corresponding aurthor: Urska Gajsek, Department of Abdominal and General Surgery, University Clinical Center Maribor Ljubljanska 5, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia, urska.gajsek@ukc-mb.si. 4. Seabear Diving Technology, Leoben, Austria. 5. Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: This study compared the thermal balance of spinal cord injured (SCI) divers and able-bodied (AB) divers during recreational cold-water dives. METHODS: Ten divers (5 AB, 5 SCI) in matched pairs dived in a shallow lake (temperature 6°C) for 30 to 36 min wearing 5 mm 'Long John' neoprene wetsuits. A gastrointestinal temperature radio pill recorded gastro-intestinal temperature (Tgi) prior to, immediately after and at 5, 10, 15, 30, 60, 120 min post-dive. Subjective ratings of temperature perception were recorded concomitantly using a visual analogue scale (VAS). RESULTS: No difference between SCI and AB divers in Tgi before the dive was observed (P = 0.85). After the dive, SCI divers cooled significantly more than AB at all measured time intervals (P < 0.001). Post dive, the mean maximum fall in Tgi during the recovery phase in SCI divers was 0.85°C (SD 0.20) and in the AB group was 0.48°C (0.48). In addition, there was greater individual variation in SCI divers compared to AB divers. There were no statistically significant differences in temperature perception between the groups either before or at any time after the dives. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to AB divers, divers with SCI were unable to maintain Tgi during short shallow dives in 6°C water and their temperatures fell further post-dive. The reduction in Tgi was not reflected in the subjective ratings of temperature perception by the SCI divers. The study was too small to assess how the level of spinal injury influenced thermal balance. Copyright: This article is the copyright of the authors who grant Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine a non-exclusive licence to publish the article in electronic and other forms.
INTRODUCTION: This study compared the thermal balance of spinal cord injured (SCI) divers and able-bodied (AB) divers during recreational cold-water dives. METHODS: Ten divers (5 AB, 5 SCI) in matched pairs dived in a shallow lake (temperature 6°C) for 30 to 36 min wearing 5 mm 'Long John' neoprene wetsuits. A gastrointestinal temperature radio pill recorded gastro-intestinal temperature (Tgi) prior to, immediately after and at 5, 10, 15, 30, 60, 120 min post-dive. Subjective ratings of temperature perception were recorded concomitantly using a visual analogue scale (VAS). RESULTS: No difference between SCI and AB divers in Tgi before the dive was observed (P = 0.85). After the dive, SCI divers cooled significantly more than AB at all measured time intervals (P < 0.001). Post dive, the mean maximum fall in Tgi during the recovery phase in SCI divers was 0.85°C (SD 0.20) and in the AB group was 0.48°C (0.48). In addition, there was greater individual variation in SCI divers compared to AB divers. There were no statistically significant differences in temperature perception between the groups either before or at any time after the dives. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast to AB divers, divers with SCI were unable to maintain Tgi during short shallow dives in 6°C water and their temperatures fell further post-dive. The reduction in Tgi was not reflected in the subjective ratings of temperature perception by the SCI divers. The study was too small to assess how the level of spinal injury influenced thermal balance. Copyright: This article is the copyright of the authors who grant Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine a non-exclusive licence to publish the article in electronic and other forms.
Authors: Domhnall Brannigan; Ian R Rogers; Ian Jacobs; Amanda Montgomery; Aled Williams; Nicole Khangure Journal: Wilderness Environ Med Date: 2009 Impact factor: 1.518