Analysis of Species Characteristics of Laboratory Animals in Reaction to Hyperbaric Environmental Conditions

Abstract

The aim of this work is to determine the dynamics of nitrogen saturation in small laboratory animals. Nitrogen was chosen as a model gas in this study because of its availability and characteristics, as it is not metabolised and is subject to passive diffusion. By subjecting different species of animals to hyperbaric exposures of increasing time and pressure, the study aimed to identify how rapid a decompression was possible to achieve an outcome that saw 50% of the animals surviving the ensuing acute decompression sickness. The basic parameters of hyperbaric exposure - pressure and time - made it possible to describe the saturation phenomena on the basis of partial saturation periods and to show whether a small animal organism can be considered as a single compartment model.