What Researchers Did
Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of 279 recreational divers with spinal cord decompression sickness from French and Belgian hyperbaric centers to identify factors affecting recovery.
What They Found
After one month, 26% of divers had incomplete recovery from spinal cord decompression sickness. Factors significantly linked to a worse outcome included being 42 years or older, diving deeper than 39 meters, experiencing bladder dysfunction, and symptoms worsening before recompression. However, the time to recompression and the specific initial hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) protocol (e.g., 2.8 ATA vs. deeper recompression up to 4 or 6 ATA) did not significantly impact recovery.
Canadian Relevance
This study covers decompression sickness, which is a Health Canada-recognised indication for hyperbaric oxygen therapy. No direct Canadian connection was identified for the study itself.
Study Limitations
A limitation of this study is its retrospective design, meaning it relied on existing data which may have varied in completeness or accuracy across different centers.