• Beneficial effect of enriched air nitrox on bubble formation during scuba diving. An open-water studyPeer reviewedOpen access 

      12 avril 2017, Brebek, Anne-Kathrin; Deussen, Andreas; Schmitz-Peiffer, Henning; Range, Ursula; BALESTRA, Costantino; Cleveland, Sinclair; Schipke, Jochen, HE Bruxelles Brabant
      Article scientifique
      Backround: Nitrogen narcosis impairs cognitive function, a fact relevant during SCUBA-diving. Oxygen-enriched air (nitrox) became popular in recreational diving, while evidence of its advantages over air is limited. AIM: Compare effects of nitrox28 and air on two psychometric tests. METHODS: In this prospective, double-blind, open-water study, 108 advanced divers (38 females) were randomized to an ...
    • Clustering of recreational divers by their health conditions in a database of a citizen science projectPeer reviewedClosed access 

      05 mai 2019, Ozyigit, Tamer; Yauz, Cüneyt; Egi, Salih Murat; Pieri, Massimo; BALESTRA, Costantino; Marroni, Alessandro, HE Bruxelles Brabant
      Article scientifique
      Divers Alert Network Europe has created a database with a large amount of dive-related data that has been collected since 1993 within the scope of the Diving Safety Laboratory citizen science project. The main objectives of this study are the grouping divers by their health information and revealing significant differences in diving parameters using data mining techniques. Due to the methodology of ...
    • Correlation between Patent Foramen Ovale, cerebral “lesions” and neuropsychometric testing in experienced sports divers: does diving damage the brain?Peer reviewedOpen access 

      01 juin 2016, BALESTRA, Costantino; Germonpré, Peter, HE Bruxelles Brabant
      Article scientifique
      SCUBA diving exposes divers to decompression sickness (DCS). There has been considerable debate whether divers with a Patent Foramen Ovale of the heart have a higher risk of DCS because of the possible right-to-left shunt of venous decompression bubbles into the arterial circulation. Symptomatic neurological DCS has been shown to cause permanent damage to brain and spinal cord tissue; it has been ...
    • Cutis Marmorata skin decompression sickness is a manifestation of brainstem bubble embolization, not of local skin bubblesPeer reviewedClosed access 

      10 avril 2015, Germonpré, Peter; BALESTRA, Costantino; Obeid, Georges; Chers, Dirk, HE Bruxelles Brabant
      Article scientifique
      "Cutis Marmorata" skin symptoms after diving, most frequently in the form of an itching or painful cutaneous red-bluish discoloration are commonly regarded as a mild form of decompression sickness (DCS), and treated with oxygen inhalation without reverting to hyperbaric recompression treatment. It has been observed that the occurrence of Cutis Marmorata is frequently associated with the presence of ...
    • Do Environmental Conditions Contribute to Narcosis Onset and Symptom Severity?Peer reviewedClosed access 

      14 octobre 2016, Lafère, Pierre; Balestra, Costantino; Hemelryck, Walter; Guerrero, François; Germonpré, Peter, HE Bruxelles Brabant
      Article scientifique
      Although many factors contributing to inert gas narcosis onset and severity have been put forward, the available evidence is not particularly strong. Using objective criteria, we have assessed brain impairment associated with narcosis under various environmental diving conditions. 40 volunteers performed a no-decompression dive (33 m for 20 min) either in a dry chamber, a pool or open sea. They were ...
    • Inert gas narcosis in scuba diving, different gases different reactionsPeer reviewedClosed access 

      19 avril 2019, Rocco, Monica; Pelaia, Paolo; Di Benedetto, Pia; Conte, Giuseppe; Maggi, Luigi; Fiorelli, Silvia; Mercieri, Marco; BALESTRA, Costantino; de Biasi, Roberto Alberto, HE Bruxelles Brabant
      Article scientifique
      Purpose Underwater divers face several potential neurological hazards when breathing compressed gas mixtures including nitrogen narcosis which can impact diver’s safety. Various human studies have clearly demonstrated brain impairment due to nitrogen narcosis in divers at 4 ATA using critical flicker fusion frequency (CFFF) as a cortical performance indicator. However, recently some authors have ...
    • Objective vs. Subjective Evaluation of Cognitive Performance During 0.4-MPa Dives Breathing Air or NitroxPeer reviewedClosed access 

      19 avril 2017, GERMONPRÉ, Peter; BALESTRA, Costantino; Hemelryck, Walter; Buzzacott, Peter; Lafère, Pierre, HE Bruxelles Brabant
      Article scientifique
      BACKGROUND: Divers try to limit risks associated with their sport, for instance by breathing enriched air nitrox (EANx) instead of air. This double blinded, randomized trial was designed to see if the use of EANx could effectively improve cognitive performance while diving. METHODS: Eight volunteers performed two no-decompression dry dives breathing air or EANx for 20 min at 0.4 MPa. Cognitive ...
    • Relationships between plasma lipids, proteins, surface tension and post-dive bubblesPeer reviewedOpen access 

      13 février 2015, Schellaert, Nicolas; Rolzoznik, Miroslav; BALESTRA, Costantino, HE Bruxelles Brabant
      Article scientifique
      Decompression sickness (DCS) in divers is caused by bubbles of inert gas. When DCS occurs, most bubbles can be found in the venous circulation: venous gas emboli (VGE). Bubbles are thought to be stabilized by low molecular weight surfactant reducing the plasma-air surface tension (γ). Proteins may play a role as well. We studied the interrelations between these substances, γ and VGE, measured before ...