Guest post by Lauren Burianek, doctoral candidate in cell biology <\/p>\n
The basement of the Duke Clinic (called Duke South by everyone around here) seems like the last place youd expect to dive for treasure, but researchers and physicians at the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Environmental Physiology are doing just that diving for a better understanding of the human body. <\/p>\n
Medical Director Rich Moon (standing) and chamber engineer Eric Schinazi at the controls of the hyperbaric chambers. <\/p>\n
The $10 million facility was built in 1968 to study the effects of diving, altitude, and compressed gasses on human physiology. It features seven large steel chambers capable of simulating the high pressure of 1,000 feet below sea water to the low pressure of 100,000 feet above sea level. To put that into perspective, 1000 feet is the deepest the Smithsonian exploratory submersible, DROP, can dive, and 100,000 feet above sea level is considered to be near-space (with the peak of Mt. Everest at a measly 30,000 feet). <\/p>\n
The deadly physiology of atmospheric pressure first came to light during construction of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York and the Eads Bridge in St. Louis in the late 1800s. High pressure tunnels were designed to keep the water out as footings were set in river beds, but the pressure also dissolved gas molecules in the blood streams of tunnel workers. When they emerged from the pressurized conditions, the gas would bubble out of solution like a freshly opened can of soda, causing life-threatening conditions, including damage to the organs and lungs, and killing about a quarter of the workers. <\/p>\n
A news photo of workers in the Lincoln Tunnel under construction in the mid-1930s. <\/p>\n
A couple decades later, a decompression chamber was used during the building of the Lincoln Tunnel under the Hudson River to slow the depressurization and reduce the chance of injury. This change reduced the deaths relating to decompression from 25% to almost 0%. <\/p>\n
Similarly, SCUBA divers must carefully watch their rate of ascent; otherwise, they too might experience what is now known as decompression sickness or the bends. <\/p>\n
The Hyperbaric facility at Duke is dedicated to researching exactly how the human body deals with these extreme pressures. <\/p>\n
The interior of one of the hyperbaric chambers. The stickers are souvenirs of decades of research projects. <\/p>\n
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Go here to see the original: Guest post by Lauren Burianek, doctoral candidate in cell biology The basement of the Duke Clinic (called Duke South by everyone around here) seems like the last place youd expect to dive for treasure, but researchers and physicians at the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Environmental Physiology are doing just that diving for a better understanding of the human body. Medical Director Rich Moon (standing) and chamber engineer Eric Schinazi at the controls of the hyperbaric chambers. The $10 million facility was built in 1968 to study the effects of diving, altitude, and compressed gasses on human physiology. Continue reading
\nScience Under Pressure: Inside the Hyperbaric Chamber<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"