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Arterial oxygen desaturation during apnea in humans

Andersson, Johan LU orcid and Schagatay, E (1998) In Undersea & Hyperbaric Medicine 25(1). p.5-21
Abstract

We studied the effect of the human diving response, defined as bradycardia and reduced peripheral blood flow, on arterial hemoglobin desaturation. We induced a diving response of different magnitudes by using apnea in air and apnea with face immersion. Each of 21 subjects performed five apneas in air and five apneas with face immersion in 10 degrees C water. Periods of apnea in both conditions were of the same duration in any individual subject (average: 126.4 s) and the order of air and water was equally distributed among subjects. Heart rate, skin capillary blood flow, arterial blood pressure, arterial hemoglobin oxygen saturation during apneas, and end-tidal fractions of CO2 after apneas were recorded with non-invasive methods. The... (More)

We studied the effect of the human diving response, defined as bradycardia and reduced peripheral blood flow, on arterial hemoglobin desaturation. We induced a diving response of different magnitudes by using apnea in air and apnea with face immersion. Each of 21 subjects performed five apneas in air and five apneas with face immersion in 10 degrees C water. Periods of apnea in both conditions were of the same duration in any individual subject (average: 126.4 s) and the order of air and water was equally distributed among subjects. Heart rate, skin capillary blood flow, arterial blood pressure, arterial hemoglobin oxygen saturation during apneas, and end-tidal fractions of CO2 after apneas were recorded with non-invasive methods. The bradycardia and capillary blood flow reduction during apnea in air (7.8 and 37.7% change from control, respectively) were significantly potentiated by face immersion (13.6 and 55.9%, respectively). Arterial hemoglobin desaturated more during apnea in air (2.7%) compared to during apnea with face immersion (1.4%). We conclude that the potentiation of the human diving response with face immersion in cold water leads to a smaller decrease in arterial hemoglobin saturation, which may reflect an oxygen-conserving effect.

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author
and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Adolescent, Adult, Apnea/blood, Blood Pressure, Diving/physiology, Heart Rate/physiology, Humans, Immersion/physiopathology, Male, Oxygen Consumption, Vasoconstriction
in
Undersea & Hyperbaric Medicine
volume
25
issue
1
pages
5 - 21
publisher
Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society
external identifiers
  • scopus:0032016608
  • pmid:9566083
ISSN
1066-2936
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
bdaaff44-c6bc-4fca-8fba-e92781dfbf60
date added to LUP
2022-11-17 20:56:49
date last changed
2024-12-17 03:00:50
@article{bdaaff44-c6bc-4fca-8fba-e92781dfbf60,
  abstract     = {{<p>We studied the effect of the human diving response, defined as bradycardia and reduced peripheral blood flow, on arterial hemoglobin desaturation. We induced a diving response of different magnitudes by using apnea in air and apnea with face immersion. Each of 21 subjects performed five apneas in air and five apneas with face immersion in 10 degrees C water. Periods of apnea in both conditions were of the same duration in any individual subject (average: 126.4 s) and the order of air and water was equally distributed among subjects. Heart rate, skin capillary blood flow, arterial blood pressure, arterial hemoglobin oxygen saturation during apneas, and end-tidal fractions of CO2 after apneas were recorded with non-invasive methods. The bradycardia and capillary blood flow reduction during apnea in air (7.8 and 37.7% change from control, respectively) were significantly potentiated by face immersion (13.6 and 55.9%, respectively). Arterial hemoglobin desaturated more during apnea in air (2.7%) compared to during apnea with face immersion (1.4%). We conclude that the potentiation of the human diving response with face immersion in cold water leads to a smaller decrease in arterial hemoglobin saturation, which may reflect an oxygen-conserving effect.</p>}},
  author       = {{Andersson, Johan and Schagatay, E}},
  issn         = {{1066-2936}},
  keywords     = {{Adolescent; Adult; Apnea/blood; Blood Pressure; Diving/physiology; Heart Rate/physiology; Humans; Immersion/physiopathology; Male; Oxygen Consumption; Vasoconstriction}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{5--21}},
  publisher    = {{Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society}},
  series       = {{Undersea & Hyperbaric Medicine}},
  title        = {{Arterial oxygen desaturation during apnea in humans}},
  volume       = {{25}},
  year         = {{1998}},
}