What Researchers Did
Researchers performed Doppler echocardiography on 20 military oxygen divers and 22 matched controls to investigate long-term cardiovascular modifications from repeated hyperbaric hyperoxia exposure.
What They Found
Military oxygen divers exhibited a significantly higher left ventricular mass (209 ± 43 g) compared to controls (172 ± 48 g), even when indexed to body surface area. However, left ventricular systolic and diastolic function, stroke volume, cardiac index, peripheral vascular resistance, and systemic compliance were comparable between the two groups.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
The observed differences in left ventricular mass between divers and controls could be attributed to the high level of physical training undertaken by the military divers, rather than solely hyperbaric hyperoxia exposure.