What Researchers Did
Critical care transport clinicians reported a case of a young woman who suffered cardiac arrest from arterial gas embolism (AGE) after a scuba dive, describing the complex challenges of transporting a critically ill patient to a distant hyperbaric facility.
What They Found
The patient survived 90 minutes of resuscitation and achieved return of spontaneous circulation but remained severely unstable. The only suitable hyperbaric facility capable of managing a critically ill patient was 440 miles away, creating significant logistical and clinical challenges for air transport.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
This case highlights a critical gap in emergency hyperbaric access: not every hyperbaric chamber can safely manage a critically ill patient. Canadians should be aware that AGE is an OHIP-covered emergency, and that in remote or rural Canada, access to a suitable facility may involve long-distance transfer with significant risk.
Canadian Relevance
Arterial gas embolism is an OHIP-covered indication for HBOT in Ontario. The geographic access challenges described are highly relevant to Canada rural and northern regions where hyperbaric facilities are sparse.
Study Limitations
This is a single case report; the logistical challenges described are context-specific and do not represent a systematic study of transport outcomes for AGE patients.