What Researchers Did
Researchers reviewed 49 cases of spinal cord decompression sickness (DCS) from a U.S. Naval Station to understand how initial severity, time to recompression with oxygen, and re-treatment affected patient recovery.
What They Found
The study found a strong correlation between initial severity and final severity after all treatments (r = 0.88), and a moderate correlation with time to recompression with oxygen (r = 0.58). Delaying treatment significantly worsened outcomes for severely injured divers (P = 0.008). However, there was no difference in re-treatment outcome based on the depth of the re-treatment table used (60- or 45-ft).
Canadian Relevance
This study covers decompression sickness, which is a Health Canada-recognised indication for hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Study Limitations
This study was a review of past cases from a single military facility, which might not fully represent all types of decompression sickness cases.