Quote: (Originally Posted by
Drmike)
purging the reg will give you very low WOB and help force ventilation. If your panting like a train and losing the battle you have nothing to lose
I would only do this as a very last resort as in life or death because even if it works you may have used up too much oc bail gas anyway....
As Mike implies, the only way out of the spiralling crisis we have described earlier is to lower work (which includes the work of breathing) so that less CO2 is produced while ventilation is maintained, thus (hopefully) creating a positive balance of CO2 elimination over production. The work of breathing may be lowered significantly by "mechanically ventilating" yourself using the purge button of the regulator during your inspiration. You should not be pushing it during exhalation. Thus, its not really like "breathing from a free flowing regulator" as has been mentioned by someone above.
Simon M
Simon