Pulmonary vascular adaptations to hypoxia in elite breath-hold divers.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Elite breath-hold divers (BHD) possess several oxygen conserving adaptations to endure long dives similar to diving mammals. During dives, Bottlenose Dolphins may increase the alveolar ventilation (V_A) to perfusion (Q) ratio to increase alveolar oxygen delivery. We hypothesized that BHD possess similar adaptive mechanisms during apnea.

Methods and results

Pulmonary blood volume (PBV) was determined by echocardiography, ¹⁵O-H₂O PET/CT, and cardiac MRi, (n = 6) during and after maximum apneas. Pulmonary function was determined by body box spirometry and compared to matched controls. After 2 min of apnea, the PBV determined by echocardiography and ¹⁵O-H₂O-PET/CT decreased by 26% and 41%, respectively. After 4 m

SUBMITTER: Kjeld T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11318387 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature