Influence of heliox, oxygen, and N2O-O2 breathing on N2 bubbles in adipose tissue.

Bubbles in rat adipose tissue were studied at 1 bar after decompression from an exposure to air at 3.3 bars (absolute) for 4 h. During air breathing the bubbles grew throughout the observation period. During heliox (80:20) breathing they shrank and eventually disappeared from view. If the breathing gas was changed from heliox back to air or to N2O-O2 (80:20) while the bubbles still had an appreciable size, they started growing again. If the change to N2O was done after or a few minutes before a bubble disappeared from view, it did not reappear. During breathing of 100% O2, most bubbles containing N2 initially grew and then maintained their size for a while before diminishing. However, some bubbles did not start shrinking during the 2-3-h observation period. The relevance of the findings to heliox treatment of CNS decompression sickness after air dives is discussed.