What Researchers Did
Researchers reported a case of a middle-aged male diver who developed severe abdominal and back pain within 15 minutes of surfacing after three consecutive dives, confirmed by CT to have abdominal venous gas burden consistent with severe decompression illness.
What They Found
The presentation mimicked surgical abdominal emergencies that had to be quickly excluded. CT imaging confirmed significant abdominal venous gas, confirming decompression illness. Emergency recompression therapy in a hyperbaric chamber was administered.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
Decompression illness is an OHIP-covered indication for HBOT in Ontario. This case highlights an unusual abdominal presentation that can be mistaken for a surgical emergency. Canadian emergency physicians should include decompression illness in the differential diagnosis for divers with acute abdominal pain.
Canadian Relevance
Decompression sickness is an OHIP-covered indication for HBOT in Ontario.
Study Limitations
This is a single case report; the unusual abdominal presentation of DCS is rare and cannot be generalized broadly without more systematic evidence.