Decompression Sickness or Illness and Arterial Gas Embolism

          When scuba diving, additional oxygen and nitrogen dissolve in body tissues.  The additional oxygen is consumed by the tissues, but the excess nitrogen must be washed out by the blood during decompression.  During or after ascent this excess nitrogen gas can form bubbles in the tissues, analogous to the carbon dioxide bubbles that form when a carbonated beverage container is opened.  These bubbles may then cause symptoms that are referred to as decompression sickness (“DCS” or “the bends”).  Trapping of gas within the lungs during ascent, either because the lung is diseased or because of breath-holding, can cause bubbles to be forced into the bloodstream (“arterial gas embolism” or “AGE”), where they can block the flow of blood or damage the lining of blood vessels supplying critical organs such as the brain.  AGE can also occur in non-divers, due to entry of air into the body, such as during medical diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.  Symptoms of DCS or AGE can include joint pain, numbness, tingling, skin rash, extreme fatigue, weakness of arms or legs, dizziness, loss of hearing, and in serious cases, complete paralysis or unconsciousness.

Emergency treatment of DCS or AGE includes administration of oxygen and measures to maintain adequate blood pressure, such as lying the patient down and fluid (either oral or intravenous, depending upon availability and severity of the illness).  Definitive treatment for DCS or AGE is administration of 100% oxygen at increased atmospheric pressure in a hyperbaric chamber (typically at a pressure 2-3 times greater than normal atmospheric pressure).

While some delay in transporting a patient to a hyperbaric chamber is usually unavoidable, the success in relieving symptoms is greater if the treatment is administered within a few hours after the onset of symptoms.  Some improvement might be expected, particularly in mild cases, even after a day or more of delay.

The vast majority of cases respond satisfactorily to a single hyperbaric oxygen treatment.  Sometimes, repetitive treatments are recommended until no further improvement can be observed.  A small minority of divers with severe neurological injury may require 15-20 repetitive treatments.  The success of hyperbaric oxygen treatment for DCS or AGE has borne the test of time, and continues to be the standard of care for the treatment of these disorders.