{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,10]],"date-time":"2026-02-10T16:39:34Z","timestamp":1770741574039,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine Journal","issue":"2","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Diving Hyperb Med"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Introduction: Malfunctions and human errors in diving rebreathers can cause hypoxia, hyperoxia, and\/or hypercapnia. We evaluated whether a prior unblinded hypoxia experience enhances a diver\u2019s ability to recognise hypoxia and initiate self-rescue.\nMethods: Forty participants were randomised to receive either an information leaflet describing hypoxia symptoms or an unblinded hypoxia experience, prior to a blinded hypoxia testing exposure during a virtual reality dive over one month later. The primary outcome was the comparison of the proportion of participants in these two groups who initiated self-rescue before reaching a peripheral oxygen saturation of 70% in the blinded exposure. An individual\u2019s \u2018symptom profile\u2019 was assessed by comparing symptoms during the unblinded hypoxia experience and blinded testing exposures.\nResults: During the blinded hypoxia testing exposure, 18\/20 (90%) participants in the hypoxia experience group performed a self-initiated rescue compared to 6\/18 (33%) in the information leaflet group (P &amp;#x0003C; 0.001). Participants in the information leaflet group had lower mean SpO2 (73.4% vs 81.4%, mean difference 8% [95% CI = 2.5\u201313.5%, P = 0.005]) and lower inhaled oxygen fraction (7.6% vs 9.4%, mean difference 1.8% [95% CI = 0.6\u22123.1%, P = 0.005]) at self-rescue. The most frequent and severe symptoms were light-headedness and shortness of breath. Of the 20 participants completing both hypoxia exposures, 14 (70%) had a consistent hypoxia symptom profile, which was not related to the ability to recognise hypoxia.\nConclusions: Self-rescue was approximately three times more likely for participants who had previously experienced hypoxia compared to simply receiving information on relevant symptoms. Most participants exhibited a consistent pattern of individual symptoms, which did not result in earlier or improved detection of hypoxia.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.28920\/dhm55.2.136-144","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,18]],"date-time":"2025-06-18T00:06:14Z","timestamp":1750205174000},"page":"136-144","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["An unblinded training exposure to hypoxia enhances subsequent hypoxia awareness"],"prefix":"10.28920","volume":"55","author":[{"name":"Department of Anaesthesiology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5907-6083","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"August","family":"Allocco","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Department of Anesthesiology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hanna","family":"van Waart","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Department of Anaesthesiology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Charlotte JW","family":"Connell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Department of Exercise Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nicole YE","family":"Wong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Department of Anaesthesiology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Department of Anaesthesia, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Abhi","family":"Charukonda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Department of Anaesthesia, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nicholas","family":"Gant","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Department of Exercise Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Xavier CE","family":"Vrijdag","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Department of Anaesthesiology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Simon J","family":"Mitchell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Department of Anaesthesiology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Department of Anaesthesia, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Slark Hyperbaric Unit, North Shore Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"11463","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,30]]},"container-title":["Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine Journal"],"original-title":[],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,18]],"date-time":"2025-06-18T00:06:19Z","timestamp":1750205179000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.dhmjournal.com\/index.php\/journals?view=article&id=359"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,30]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,30]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.28920\/dhm55.2.136-144","relation":{},"ISSN":["2209-1491"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2209-1491","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,30]]}}}