Actions for Musculoskeletal-induced Nucleation in Altitude Decompression Sickness

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Musculoskeletal-induced Nucleation in Altitude Decompression Sickness

Author
Pollock, N. W.
Published
February 12, 2014.
Physical Description
1 electronic document
Additional Creators
Natoli, M. J., Gernhardt, M. L., Wessel, J. H., III, and Conkin, J.
Online Version

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Unclassified, Unlimited, Publicly available.
Free-to-read Unrestricted online access
Summary
Musculoskeletal activity has the potential to both improve and compromise decompression safety. Exercise enhances inert gas elimination during oxygen breathing prior to decompression (prebreathe), but it may also promote bubble nuclei formation (nucleation), which can lead to gas phase separation and bubble growth and increase the risk of decompression sickness (DCS). The timing, pattern and intensity of musculoskeletal activity and the level of tissue supersaturation may be critical to the net effect. There are limited data available to evaluate cost-benefit relationships. Understanding the relationship is important to improve our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of nucleation in exercise prebreathe protocols and to quantify risk in gravity and microgravity environments. Data gathered during NASA's Prebreathe Reduction Program (PRP) studies combined oxygen prebreathe and exercise followed by low pressure (4.3 psi; altitude equivalent of 30,300 ft [9,235 m]) microgravity simulation to produce two protocols used by astronauts preparing for extravehicular activity. Both the Phase II/CEVIS (cycle ergometer vibration isolation system) and ISLE (in-suit light exercise) trials eliminated ambulation to more closely simulate the microgravity environment. The CEVIS results (35 male, 10 female) serve as control data for this NASA/Duke study to investigate the influence of ambulation exercise on bubble formation and the subsequent risk of DCS.
Other Subject(s)
Collection
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) Collection.
Note
Document ID: 20140003297.
JSC-CN-29922.
2014 NASA Human Research Program Investigators' Workshop (HRP 2014); 12-13 Feb. 2014; Galveston, TX; United States.
Terms of Use and Reproduction
Copyright, Distribution as joint owner in the copyright.
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