TY  - JOUR
PY  - 1984//
TI  - Effect of rebreathing on psychomotor skills when wearing integral crash helmets
JO  - Archives of emergency medicine
A1  - Malins, A. F.
A1  - Curnow, J. S.
A1  - Baskett, P. J.
A1  - Greenbaum, R.
SP  - 101
EP  - 104
VL  - 1
IS  - 2
N2  - Nine volunteer subjects underwent psychomotor testing when wearing an integral crash helmet in a variety of conditions which lead to rebreathing. There was a wide individual variation in the extent of rebreathing. In the worst conditions the minimum inspired carbon dioxide tension (PICO2) increased to 2.6 kPa. The psychomotor test was a tracking test based on a microcomputer. There was a significant deterioration in the ability to perform the test when the helmet was worn with the visor down and restricted airflow into the helmet (P = less than 0.05). In those tests when the minimum PICO2 exceeded 0.5 kPa the decrease in performance was more highly statistically significant (p = less than 0.005). Rebreathing wearing integral crash helmets results in a variable impairment in the subjects' ability to perform a tracking test. We recommend that the maximum level of CO2 retention inside integral crash helmets should not exceed 0.5 kPa minimum PICO2.
LA  - 
SN  - 0264-4924
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -