What Researchers Did
Researchers reported on a case of a 51-year-old rebreather diver who suffered severe decompression illness and received hyperbaric treatment after a six-day delay.
What They Found
The diver remained deeply comatose, cardiovascularly unstable, and intubated for six days before recompression treatment began. Despite this significant delay, he made a functional recovery, though at one year post-injury, he had not returned to diving and experienced moderately severe tinnitus, impaired right ear hearing, and occasional mild speech problems.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection as it reports on a case from a remote Micronesian dive site.
Study Limitations
The primary limitation of this study is that it is a single case report, which limits the generalizability of its findings to a broader patient population.