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The intensive development of society towards the use of marine resources for industry, transport, leisure, etc., raises the requirements for professional competencies and responsibilities of medical professionals working on board a marine facility or on shore. The Medical University in Varna is the first and only medical university in Bulgaria, which has developed interdisciplinary in nature Marine Medicine program. Working as a partner in “Infrastructure for Sustainable Development of Marine Research Including the Participation of Bulgaria in the European Infrastructure EURO-ARGO” - MASRI for the first time provides an opportunity to develop a laboratory of marine medicine. The purpose of this study is to assess the needs for appropriate equipment of such a specialized laboratory. In it with the capabilities of modern equipment and methods, the problems of marine physiology, hyperbaric medicine, urgency in marine environment and efficiency in the training of marine professionals will be explored. Providing a laboratory of marine medicine with appropriate equipment gives us the material basis for the implementation of numerous studies for the development and improvement of methods for functional assessment of marine specialists. It provides an opportunity to assess, monitor, improve, and control the training, coaching and qualification of marine professionals. The data from the measurements will be useful for optimizing the training of seafarers and especially those with increased occupational risk - lifeguards, members of volunteer teams, and athletes in water sports.

The normal functioning of the respiratory system is a leading factor, both for the survival of people caught in an aquatic environment during an accident, and for the effectiveness of the assistance activities. In view of this, in 2020, a team of researchers from the Medical University of Varna, the Naval Academy - Varna and the Bulgarian Red Cross set out to study some physiological respiratory parameters and related anthropometric data of 51 individuals. The subjects were divided into two groups: 1) trainees in the water rescue courses conducted at BRC-Varna and 2) 1st year students from the Naval Academy. All participants in the study were non-smokers. The examination of the respiratory parameters was performed according to a standardized methodology with the same spirometer, which measures and registers over 30 indicators. Of these indicators, three were analyzed in the present study: forced expiratory volume for 1 s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and their FEV1/FVC percentage ratio (index of Tiffeneau). As far as the functional capabilities of the respiratory system are essential for the activity of marine professionals, it can be assumed that the high results obtained by the spirometric study in the participants from both groups are a prerequisite for improving both their personal safety when working in a marine environment and for the higher efficiency and success of rescue operations. The perspective is, after collecting a statistically significant volume of data and in combination with other functional studies, to create good practices to improve the safety systems of people in contact with the marine environment.