UNDERSEA TECHNOLOGY 75 



DEEP SUBMERGENCE BIOMEDICAL DEVELOPMENT 



The Navy program, Deep Submergence BioMedical Development will 

 direct and coordinate tasks directed toward the solution of problems in- 

 herent in or associated with diving and working at deep salvage operational 

 depths, diving and working in deeply submerged high pressure free swimmer 

 habitats, operating small sea-level atmosphere deep diving vehicles and 

 isolated fixed installations, and combat swimmer operations. Specific areas 

 include personnel casualty treatment, biomedical aspects of life support 

 and medical aspects of crew selection and performance. 



Personnel casualty treatment, decompression and related medical tech- 

 niques, procedures and equipment will be developed to provide an accept- 

 able support capability for diving operations with a goal of about 1000 ft. 

 Improved capability will be provided in the areas of: breathing gas mixture 

 technology; computer aided decompression procedures; decompression 

 sickness and air embolism prevention and treatment, and emergency medi- 

 cal care in the underwater environment. 



Biomedical systems, subsystems and components integral to the pro- 

 vision of Ufe support, health maintenance and environmental control, at 

 1000 ft. underwater equivalent pressure for up to 30 days will be advanced 

 through prototype development and laboratory evaluation phases. The 

 objective is to improve capabilities in the areas of cardiopulmonary physio- 

 logical monitoring techniques; body temperature control techniques; nutri- 

 tion and fluid balance maintenance; disease control and prevention; habitat 

 temperature, humidity, gas composition, and a toxic contaminant environ- 

 mental control system. 



Advances in medical selection techniques and procedures, human factors 

 engineering, and crew performance assessment are vital to the effective utili- 

 zation of manpower resources in the deep submergence environment. This 

 phase of the work shall include the following: special aptitude assessment, 

 psychiatric screening, and group composition determination; unique stress 

 and related fatigue detection, measurement, prevention and control tech- 

 niques; bio-electronic sensor aids for sight, smell, hearing, touch and equi- 

 librium, and biomechanical locomotion aids and work tools; work-rest- 

 sleep-cycle determination; environmental medical services related to living 

 and work space design; pharmacological enhancement of crew performance. 



Medical care services in support of diving systems will be developed in- 

 cluding the techniques, procedures, materials, equipment, therapeutic and 

 anesthetic drugs, and biologicals for treatment of shock, respiratory and 

 cardiac syncopy, and traumatic injury; general drug therapy; poison marine 

 Hfe injury prevention and treatment; disease and injury diagnosis and prog- 

 nostication; emergency control and treatment of acute psychiatric cases. 



287-778 O - 68 - 6 



