When sports such as running and diving are performed in an extreme way, the body is strained to the maximum. For this reason, athletes are being observed medically – for example by means of blood gas analysis.

Apnea divers are not too interested in the colorful surroundings underwater – for them, it’s the depth that counts. The dive must be performed on a single breath without direct assistance of an underwater breathing apparatus, reaching maximum depth and exhausting the diver’s stamina. Medical technology devices help extreme athletes on-site to expand the limits as far as possible – providing record-breaking diagnostics, no matter whether for a dive in a frosted lake or at the finishing line of the “Ironman“.

A change in ambient pressure can have direct effects on the carbon dioxide measures in blood for athletes– especially for apnea divers. Today partial pressures of oxygen (pO₂) and carbon dioxide (pCO₂) can be measured using a blood gas system, and through this, the level of CO₂ (tCO₂ – Gesamtgehalt CO₂), which is vital for divers. This threshold controls breath stimulation in the body – and forces one to breathe in when it is significantly surpassed. A consequence of a low CO₂ partial pressure is the so-called ‘blackout’. By using detailed analysis of blood gases, these risks should be reduced. In addition, blood gas analyses with RapidPoint® 400 from Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, for example, deliver important information for athletes in training. Consequently, this is also an important development for apnea diving. Forty years ago, physicians wouldn’t have dreamed of a dive deeper as 30 meters – as of July 2008, the world record now reaches the depths of more than 210 meters.

An enrichment for examination procedures are the few steps it takes for the blood sample to ‘head to’ the analyses: Thanks to its size, RapidPoint 400 is also flexible outside the laboratory. Thus the examinations can also be managed for large events, such as the long-distance triathlon “Challenge Roth” near Nuremberg. There, blood gas analysis systems have been set up in First Aid tents for several years, where athletes go after the finish line has been reached. There, blood is taken from a capillary in the ear lobe to determine oxygen partial pressure, oxygen saturation and lactate concentration with the blood gas analyzer – similar to the testing of the apnea divers.

For high-performance competitive athletes, good lactate values are the most important indications for their fitness. They also offer the chance to test their limits and then inch closer to them.