What Researchers Did
Researchers investigated the potential of differential permeability gas separation devices to control oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in closed-circuit breathing atmospheres.
What They Found
They found that differential permeability gas separation devices could reduce oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations in recirculating nitrogen/oxygen atmospheres. These devices could eliminate the need for nitrogen to dilute oxygen and reduce or eliminate the requirement for carbon dioxide absorbents. However, using these devices to produce nitrogen/oxygen breathing gas mixtures for divers from air resulted in unacceptably high levels of carbon dioxide.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadian individuals undergoing long hyperbaric exposures or in closed breathing environments, this technology could offer improved control over breathing gas composition. It might lead to more efficient and safer systems by reducing the need for traditional gas dilution and carbon dioxide removal methods.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
A limitation identified was that using these devices to produce diver breathing gas mixtures from air could result in unacceptably high carbon dioxide levels.