Heat emission and body temperature of albino rats exposed to hyperbaric oxygen

Abstract

In model experiments in which bodies simulating an animal were heated under steady-state conditions the effect of hyperbaric oxygen (1.2–4 atm) on the level of heat flow (HF) from the bodies and their temperature was studied. Under hyperbaric conditions an increased level of HF was recorded, followed by a decrease as the exposure continued. At the same time the temperature of these bodies fell, evidence of increased heat loss. Periods of compression and decompression were accompanied by a marked rise and fall of HF respectively. In experiments on albino rats fluctuations in the HF level during compression and decompression were smaller, the HF level during exposure to a constant high pressure remained virtually constant, and the rectal and subcutaneous temperature did not differ statistically significantly from their initial level. It is suggested that this effect may be the result of increased heat production.