Decompression Illnesses
Decompression sickness (DCS), also known as “the bends,” is a condition arising from the formation of gas bubbles in the bloodstream or body tissues, which is caused by a rapid decrease in pressure. It’s most commonly associated with scuba diving, although it can also occur during unpressurized air travel or other rapid changes in ambient pressure.
Causes: Decompression sickness is caused by inert gases, primarily nitrogen, coming out of solution and forming bubbles in the body due to rapid decompression. When a diver ascends too quickly, the pressure decrease causes the nitrogen that has dissolved in their body during the dive at high pressures to come out of solution too quickly, leading to bubble formation.
Symptoms: Symptoms of DCS can range from joint pain, dizziness, and skin rash to more severe cases including paralysis, neurological symptoms, and even death if not promptly treated. These commonly happen around 0-24 hours after ascending. The range and severity of symptoms depend on the amount of gas bubbles and where they form. Commonly, divers may feel fatigue, joint pain (especially in the arms and legs), dizziness, shortness of breath, and extreme cases can result in neurological symptoms.
Treatment: The primary treatment for DCS is recompression therapy, typically carried out in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. The patient is recompressed to a pressure where the bubbles are re-dissolved into the body tissues and then slowly decompressed, while breathing pure oxygen to help flush out the nitrogen.
Prevention: To prevent DCS, divers are advised to ascend slowly from dives, take safety stops to allow excess nitrogen to be metabolically eliminated, limit dive times at depth, and avoid flying shortly after diving. Following dive tables or dive computers for ascent profiles is critical in reducing the risk of DCS.
It is a potentially serious condition that requires immediate medical attention and is best managed through preventative measures taken by divers to minimize the risk.
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