FAILURE TO PREVENT DECOMPRESSION ILLNESS IN RATS BY PRETREATMENT WITHA SOLUBLE COMPLEMENT RECEPTOR

Controversy exists over the role of complement activation in the natur al history of decompression illness (DCI), and whether an individual's predisposition to DCI might be influenced by susceptibility to activa tion of complement by intravascular gas bubbles. Treatment with a solu ble complement receptor (sCR-1), which neutralizes activated complemen t components, is known to be beneficial in other complement-dependent disease processes. This study investigated the effect of treating rats with sCR-1 or saline before decompression from a dive profile known t o produce a high incidence of DCI. No statistical difference in the in cidence of DCI was observed between the 27 rats treated with sCR-1 and 26 control rats treated with saline. The study was unable to confirm the previously reported observation in rats of a positive correlation between DCI incidence and increasing weight.