What Researchers Did
Researchers developed a new method to track nitrogen gas movement inside a living body under high pressure using radioactive nitrogen-13 and a PET scanner, testing it on a single rat exposed to 625 kPa for 10 minutes.
What They Found
The PET scanner showed that nitrogen-13 concentration increased in the rat's lung, heart, and abdominal areas, reaching a stable level after about 4 minutes. Tissue samples from the blood, brain, liver, femur, and thigh muscle also showed radioactivity above background levels, confirming nitrogen presence.
Canadian Relevance
Although this study was not conducted by Canadian authors, it covers decompression sickness, which is a Health Canada-recognised indication for hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Study Limitations
The study was conducted on a single anesthetized rat, and the method requires further development before it can be applied to larger mammals or humans.