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To: David
To: Doolette <ddoolett@me*.ad*.ed*.au*>
Subject: Preventing DCS? (was Blood solubility)
From: Jeffrey Lawrence Mahon <jmahon@uh*.uh*.Ha*.Ed*>
Cc: Mark
Cc: Lefevre <mark@ms*.co*>
Cc: techdiver@opal.com
Date: Sun, 20 Nov 1994 00:22:20 -1000

Mark Lefever asks

>This question is directed to the anesthesiologists out there. Are there
>in existence today any drugs which will increase the solubity of gases
>in the blood ? 

I am taking a Diving Physiology class at U. of Hawaii and my instructor 
mentioned some recent research that may pertain to the above question. 
Injecting rabbits with CVF (cobra venom factor) for 3 days prevented DCS 
symptoms when exposed to a dive profile that had caused DCS symptoms 
previously.  The CVF works by reducing the effect of the Compliment 
System on gas bubbles.  As I understand it, the Compliment System 
consists of about 20 different proteins in blood plasma that react to 
toxins (and bubbles) by attaching to them, making the bubbles much more 
likely to lodge in capillaries. The CVF uses up(?) these proteins and 
prevents them from attaching to bubbles. The natural level of these 
proteins could also be measure to check for susceptibility to DCS.
 My grasp of this concept is a little fuzzy so if anyone out there is 
familiar with this research or the effect of the compliment system on DCS 
please update/correct my statement. I will try to get more info and if 
people are interested I will post what I find.  I realize that injecting 
cobra venom before diving may not be appealing to most of us, but the 
implications are exciting.
                                         Jeff

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