Diving up to 60 m depth followed by decompression has no effect on pro-enzyme and total thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor antigen concentration.

Abstract

The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of two different hyperbaric exposures followed by decompression on thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor (TAFI) concentration and activity. The hyperbaric conditions correspond to diving to 30 and 60 m water depth. Thirty-four male divers were tested in decompression habitat LSH-200, with air as a breathing medium. The pro-enzyme and total TAFI antigen concentration were measured. We did not observed significant changes of either pro-enzyme or total TAFI antigen concentration after both series of exposures followed by decompression. The results may suggest that TAFI plays only a marginal role, if any, in the regulation of induced fibrinolysis in divers, which may contribute to bleeding episodes in a course of decompression sickness.