posted
How cool! I wish they could still absorb oxygen from the water, too! That would be so great, to be able to stay underwater forever!
Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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posted
Me too Anne Kate, Bev. In addition to how cool it would be to be able to swim and dive and stuff without coming up for air, the sensation of oxygen rich water washing over your gills would be a fantastic sensation to experience, wouldn't it? I love the sensation of breathing air too. It's one of those things that I'd probably take for granted if I didn't occasionally have trouble with it, by my god what an incredible sensation it can be.
When I was little I used to try to breathe water, because it seemed like it should feel good, and seemed like a natural thing to do. Usually I failed to actually inhale, but I managed to do it...once. That was plenty.
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Wow, Noemon! I think I always took that sensation for granted until just then when you said that. When I paid attention, I noticed that it is indeed a wonderful feeling! Especially now (right after a rainstorm when the air is damp and washed clean). Posts: 6246 | Registered: Aug 2004
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I always KNEW there was something fishy about my sister.
quote: In addition to how cool it would be to be able to swim and dive and stuff without coming up for air, the sensation of oxygen rich water washing over your gills would be a fantastic sensation to experience, wouldn't it?
Actually, water is very poor in oxygen -- it can only dissolve about one-twentieth the O2 that is found in air.
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Sure, it's a relative thing. I wasn't trying to argue that water was richer in oxygen than air was.
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Am I wrong in thinking that some water is richer in oxygen than other water? When I was saying that, what I was imagining was breathing water that was rich in oxygen compared to other water.
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Yes, water can be richer in dissolved oxygen. Stagnant water tends to have very low levels; moving water much more. (This is why fish tanks often have some sort of aerating system, and why still, deep lakes have fewer critters than lakes which are not still.)
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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*thinks of aeration device in goldfish's tank*
Yup, sounds right.
Anyone else fascinated by the concept presented in the movie "The Abyss" of breathing liquid? I have heard rumors that that is possible for a human to do, but don't know if it has actually been tried.
It isn't the same as breathing under water though.
Noemon, I was never that brave. But all growing up, when in a pool, I spent more time under water than above. Posts: 7050 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
Also cold water is capable of holding more dissolved oxygen than warm water. That's why warmer water temperature can kill some types of fish, it's not the actual temperature, there just isn't enough oxygen dissolved in the water for them to survive.
Posts: 349 | Registered: May 2003
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quote: Anyone else fascinated by the concept presented in the movie "The Abyss" of breathing liquid? I have heard rumors that that is possible for a human to do, but don't know if it has actually been tried.
quote: What was strange was that the mice and cats that breathed the silicone oil died shortly after returning to breathing normal air, while those that remained in the fluorocarbon survive for weeks.
O_o
I assume this was "fixed" before they tried it on hospital patients. Posts: 7050 | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
In addition to what Rivka pointed out it's been used very effectively in replacing ventilators for premature infants who lack the normal surfactants (which break up liquid) to breathe. I found several articles on PubMed, but I'm fairly certain I can't link to them. I have some quotes though. This was a clinical trial of liquid breathing in 1997:
quote: Ten infants with severe neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) who failed conventional therapy for their disease were treated with liquid intratracheal Perflubron (perfluorocarbon) for a period of 24 to 76 hours. Infants were then ventilated with conventional mechanical ventilation with the lung filled with Perflubron (partial liquid ventilation or perfluorocarbon-assisted gas exchange). Additional Perflubron had to be added to the airway to compensate for evaporative loss. After therapy was discontinued, the Perflubron was emptied by suction as well as possible, and the remaining liquid was allowed to evaporate. Chest radiographs demonstrated patchy clearing during recovery and infants were weaned to gas ventilation with no problems. Ventilator support following Perflubron treatment was usually significantly less than that needed prior to therapy. No significant complications of therapy were encountered. Eight of the 10 infants survived to 36 weeks postconceptional age. The two infants who died had severe IVH (Intra-Ventricular hemmorrhage, which is a burst blood vessel in the brain) with respiratory failure.
The results of partial liquid ventilation are often instantaneous and dramatic. In addition to improvement in compliance through elimination of the air-liquid interface by the Perflubron, it is likely that alveoli are stabilized, blood flow to the lung is improved, ventilation-perfusion matching is increased, and endogenous surfactant release is enhanced.
The remaining questions prior to more widespread use of this approach deal with safety. Perflubron appears to be entirely eliminated through exhalation, with liffle systemic absorption. Nonetheless, the issue of toxicity will need to be carefully followed, although it appears to be minimal. Some infants in this report had tiny amounts of residual Perflubron in the lung for some time after treatment was discontinued, possibly from inadequate drainage and architectural lung injury during early gas ventilatory support.
posted
Cool! I imagine they "take to it" far better than those of us who are accustomed to breathing air.
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