Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42909981›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in physiology2026

Principles, concepts, and perspectives for the improvement of decompression procedures: a Neo-Haldanian approach bridging bubble physics and decompression physiology.

Jean-Pierre Imbert, Ran Arieli, Costantino Balestra

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in physiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Jean-Pierre ImbertEnvironmental and Occupational, Physiology Laboratory, Haute Ecole Bruxelles-Brabant (HE2B), Brussels, Belgium.
Ran ArieliThe Israel Naval Medical Institute, Haifa, Israel.
Costantino BalestraEnvironmental and Occupational, Physiology Laboratory, Haute Ecole Bruxelles-Brabant (HE2B), Brussels, Belgium.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: This paper is a narrative review and theoretical perspective presenting principles, concepts, and perspectives for improving decompression procedures. It distinguishes three levels of evidence: established observations, hypotheses with experimental support, and mechanistic scenarios that remain hypothetical. Methods: We organize decompression around two linked dimensions: bubbles as the primary physical event and microparticles (MPs) as a physiological consequence. We hypothesize that a substantial proportion of decompression-related microbubbles originate from pre-existing gas micronuclei associated with active hydrophobic sites (AHS) at three locations: distal arterial, venous, and extravascular. From these assumptions, five bubble scenarios are considered: growth and detachment from distal arterial AHS; growth and detachment from venous AHS; pulmonary bubble filtration; survival of arterial gas microbubbles and their potential target organs; and intravascular bubble development. Physiological factors may generate MPs, endothelial dysfunction, systemic inflammation, and possibly a secondary generation of microbubbles. Results and discussion: The proposed scenarios align with decompression sickness (DCS) pathophysiology across five target organ systems: skin, brain, inner ear, spinal cord, and musculoskeletal tissue. Inflammatory stress appears important for defining post-dive intervals and multiday diving patterns. Designing decompression procedures therefore requires integrating individual variability and dive history; dive characteristics such as rapid ascents, yo-yo diving, and surface decompression; the bubble scenarios triggered during ascent; and accumulated oxidative stress, oxy-inflammation, and endothelial damage that modify susceptibility to DCS. Conclusion: There is no single ultimate decompression algorithm; rather, different strategies reflect different experience, assumptions, and operational contexts.

Indexed as

active hydrophobic sitearterial gas bubbledecompression algorithmdecompression sicknessdecompression stressgeneticinflammationmicrobubble

Identifiers

PMID42909981
PMCPMC13684882

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.