Nitrogen Narcosis is an altered state of mind caused by breathing
nitrogen at a high partial pressure. The
deeper a diver descends, the higher the partial pressure of nitrogen and other
gasses in his air will be.
Narcosis has been called the “rapture of the
deep” and many divers compare narcosis to a feeling of pleasant drunkenness. In
fact, divers sometimes use the “Martini Rule” to roughly estimate the effects
of narcosis during a dive. Depending upon the source, the Martini Rule states
that for every 30 or 60 feet of depth, a diver experiences the narcotic effect
of drinking one martini.
Decompression Illness is a disorder in which
nitrogen is dissolved in the blood and tissues by high pressure forms bubbles as
pressure decreases.
Air is composed mainly of nitrogen and oxygen.
Because air under high pressure is compressed, each breath taken at depth
contains many more molecules than a breath taken at the surface. Because oxygen
is used continuously by the body, the extra oxygen molecules breathed under
high pressure usually do not accumulate. However, the extra nitrogen molecules
do accumulate in the blood and tissues.
REFERENCE:
Gibb. N. (2015). Decompression Sickness vs Nitrogen Narcosis. 10/01/2016, de about sports Sitio web: http://scuba.about.com/od/divemedicinesafety/p/Decompression-Sickness-Vs-Nitrogen-Narcosis-Whats-The-Difference.htm
REFERENCE:
Gibb. N. (2015). Decompression Sickness vs Nitrogen Narcosis. 10/01/2016, de about sports Sitio web: http://scuba.about.com/od/divemedicinesafety/p/Decompression-Sickness-Vs-Nitrogen-Narcosis-Whats-The-Difference.htm
