The Complement System and Diving
Considerable research over the past 10 years has been directed toward elucidation of the complement system and it's effect on the body in association with bubbles. Reviewed nicely in 1997…
HBO and Anemia
HBO in the Treatment of Acute Blood Loss AnemiaMechanisms of ActionThe efficacy of hyperbaric therapy is based on an elevation of the partial pressure of oxygen (PO2), resulting in hyperoxygenation…
Blood Donation and Diving
Divers often donate blood and need to know when to resume diving. This article is meant to provide information to help answer those questions. This information should apply to any…
Diving with Anemia
Definition of AnemiaAnemia can be defined as a reduction in the hemoglobin, hematocrit or red cell number. In physiologic terms an anemia is any disorder in which the patient suffers…
Iron Overload and Diving
by Martin KirkNASA researchers recently quantified a number of physiological changes, previously detected in astronauts in outer space, in divers in an underwater habitat off the coast of Florida. In…
Polycythemia Vera
What is Polycythemia?It is a condition in which the body produces too many red blood cells. There are few references to this condition in any of the major textbooks of…
Anticoagulants and Diving
What Are Anticoagulants?Anticoagulants are drugs or substances that cause the blood to clot more slowly when out of the blood vessel; examples would be coumadin (Warfarin, Dicoumarol) and heparin. These…
Sickle Cell Illness and Diving
What is Sickle Cell Anemia?This is an inherited condition of people of mostly African heritage in which there are abnormal configurations of the red blood cells that appear as sickles…