ROAD -Robotic Assisted Diving: physiology of diving

Underwater diving on compressed air or other breathing gases results in a range of physiological effects and potentially pathophysiological sequelae over the risk of drowning. Human divers can cease breathing for short dives or they must use a Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA) containing air. Being underwater means being under pressure, and that pressure increases rapidly as you dive deeper. That means that the various gas laws come into play, and those laws can impact the "function of living organisms and their parts”. We assist to a change in compliance, resistance and in work of breathing as well as a change in blood volume distribution with some effect on the heart. The different gas laws could giustified some pathophysiological effects like oxygen toxicity, nitrogen narcosis, and decompressions sickness. We discuss all these items.