What Researchers Did
This review article describes the serious medical problems that can arise from changes in atmospheric pressure, such as those experienced during diving.
What They Found
The most severe issues include pulmonary barotrauma with air embolism and decompression sickness (DCS). In DCS, bubbles of nitrogen or helium form in tissues, causing symptoms like joint pain ("bends") and potentially affecting the brain and spinal cord. Urgent treatment for gas bubble disease requires compression in a hyperbaric chamber with high partial pressures of oxygen.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
Canadian patients who experience conditions like decompression sickness or air embolism, often related to diving or rapid pressure changes, can benefit from hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). HBOT is a critical treatment to reduce bubble size and improve oxygen delivery, helping to prevent long-term neurological damage.
Canadian Relevance
This study covers decompression sickness and arterial gas embolism, which are Health Canada-recognised indications for hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Study Limitations
As a review article published in 1993, this study may not reflect the most current research or treatment protocols for dysbarism.