European Journal of Applied Physiology - Working at Depth: Physiological Mechanisms

Working at depth poses a number of physiological challenges for the respiratory, cardiovascular, renal, neural and muscular systems. Working at depth takes a variety of forms including free diving, breathing pressurized gas mixtures as occurs with SCUBA, and breathing pressurized gas within environments such as submarines and stationary submarine dwellings. It is easy to see how these activities impact the respiratory system. The cardiovascular effects of breathing pressurized gas mixtures are perhaps less well understood than effects on the respiratory system, and in turn the impact on skeletal muscle performance even less so. Moreover, the presence of gas mixtures at elevated pressures may cause neurological problems with a large variety of symptoms of neural impairment, affecting the cognitive sphere and the visual and motor systems and others. In addition, much work at depth is performed in cold conditions, and this imposes challenges on thermoregulation and cognitive function. Specific adaptive and training strategies are required under several circumstances.

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