A Comparison of Recompression Therapy in the Treatment of Spinal cord Decompression Sickness

• Main Authors: Sykes,J J W, Hallenbeck,J M, Leitch,D R
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Subjects: AMPLITUDE; ANATOMICAL MODELS; Anatomy and Physiology; COMPARISON; COMPRESSION; CONTROL; DECOMPRESSION SICKNESS; ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY; FUNCTIONS; LABORATORY ANIMALS; LOSSES; MEASUREMENT; NERVES; PE63713N; SEQUENCES; SPINAL CORD; STIMULATION(PHYSIOLOGY); Stress Physiology; SURFACES; THERAPY; TIME

In an animal model spinal evoked responses to peripheral nerve stimulation were used as a measure of spinal cord function before, during, and after a dive profile found to reliably produce spinal cord decompression sickness (DCS). It was determined that progressive loss of amplitude, the major change, indicated the occurrence of spinal cord DCS. After a period of time, to allow the lesion to consolidate and therefore simulate delayed treatment, the animals were recompressed and treated. Treatment Group A (n =10) consisted of the standard treatment of 100% oxygen at 60 fsw (2.8 ATA) and treatment Group B (n = 8) consisted of 66% oxygen at 66 fsw (2.0 ATA). Serial measurements of spinal evoked responses documented the return of electrophysiological function during the treatment period. Each response was characterized as the sum of the amplitude expressed as a percent of surface control. Results indicated that there was a varied response to treatment regardless of treatment group and that after 25 min of treatment there was not likely to be further significant return of amplitude. Linear regression lines were fitted to the profile beyond 25 min.