Flow chart describing the experimental design.

<p>Flow chart describing the experimental design.</p

Percents of dead rats and animals presenting neurological symptoms of decompression sickness within 30 min after surfacing.

<p>Percents of rats with high bubble grades (Spencer grades 3 and 4) during precordial bubble detection are also represented. Histogram in dark grey represents the group treated with sildenafil and light grey represents the controls. * denotes p<0.05 between groups.</p

Percents of blood cells consumption after decompression from the baseline in dark grey for the group of rats treated with sildenafil and light grey for the controls.

<p>* denotes p<0.05 between groups.</p

Changes in PEFR during exposures to 40 msw (dashed line) and 50 msw (solid line).

<p>Statistically significant decrements from pre exposure values were found except for values indicated as non significant (NS).</p

Decompression procedure after saturation exposure to 50 msw.

<p>Five min of air breathing (air breaks) were given after 25 min of Oxygen breathing.</p

Averaged bubble grades predicted from mathematical simulation in different configurations of exposures, with or without periods of pure oxygen breathing.

<p>v_b is the total bubble volume in a conceptual tissue compartment (T_1/2 = 400 min).</p

Simulation results for the decompression profile from 48-h air exposure to 5 bar (40 msw).

<p>Ambient pressure (Pamb, bar), breathing gas Nitrogen fraction (f_N2), and estimated total bubble volume (v_b, ml gas ml tissue⁻¹) in a conceptual tissue compartment (T_1/2 = 400 min). The corresponding estimated bubble grade according to the Spencer scale is indicated. Periods of pure O₂ breathing appear shaded in the figure.</p

Spirometry measurements pre and post exposure to 40 and 50 msw.

<p>Statistically significant changes are indicated by an asterisk.</p

Simulation results for the decompression profile from 12-h exposure to 5 bar (40 msw).

<p>Ambient pressure (Pamb, bar), breathing gas Nitrogen fraction (f_N2), and estimated total bubble volume (v_b, ml gas ml tissue⁻¹) in a conceptual tissue compartment (T_1/2 = 400 min). The corresponding estimated bubble grade according to the Spencer scale is indicated. Periods of pure O₂ breathing appear shaded in the figure.</p

Simulation results for the decompression profile from 48-h air exposure to 6 bar (50 msw).

<p>Ambient pressure (Pamb, bar), breathing gas Nitrogen fraction (f_N2), and estimated total bubble volume (v_b, ml gas ml tissue⁻¹) in a conceptual tissue compartment (T_1/2 = 400 min). The corresponding estimated bubble grade according to the Spencer scale is indicated. Periods of pure O₂ breathing appear shaded in the figure.</p