PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Jad Hobeika
AU  - Claude Poirier
AU  - Nicolas Germain-Lacroix
TI  - Assessement of eucapnic voluntary hyperventilation response in asymptomatic SCUBA divers
DP  - 2012 Sep 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - P869
VI  - 40
IP  - Suppl 56
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P869.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/40/Suppl_56/P869.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2012 Sep 01; 40
AB  - SCUBA diving is a popular, yet potentially dangerous sport. Exercice, increased oxygen partial pressure and gas density, as well as saline microaspirations are only a few factors that may precipitate bronchoconstriction in SCUBA divers. The resulting air entrapment may have catastrophic consequences such as pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, and tympanic perforation. Eucapnic voluntary hyperventilation (EVH) has been increasingly used to evaluate the risk of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB). However, result interpretation has been hampered by the lack of data pertaining to the expected response of asymptomatic individuals to EVH, as well as the lack of a defined gold standard. 10 asymptomatic SCUBA divers having perfomed at least ten dives in the last three years, with no diving-related respiratory complications and no identified air trapping on spirometry were questioned and performed EVH. The average subject was 29.56 years old. Average FEV1 and FEV1/FVC values were 3.62L and 0.80, respectively. EVH was performed using a standardised approach as suggested by Argyros et al. All participants reached a satisfactory voluntary minute ventilation defined by attaining a minute ventilation greater than 30 times the FEV1 for 6 minutes. Post-EVH FEV1 values decreased in all but one participant by an average of 4.67% (Range: 0 - 8%). In conclusion, our data provides evidence that EVH is a specific test; moreover, post-EVH FEV1 decreases of less than 10% is an appropriate cut-off in ruling out EIB in low-risk individuals.