What Researchers Did
Researchers reported a case of Type II decompression sickness in a 50-year-old male hyperbaric inside attendant.
What They Found
A 50-year-old male inside attendant developed Type II decompression sickness within 10 minutes after a hyperbaric treatment to 40 fsw (122.52 kPa), experiencing lower extremity weakness and paresthesias. He was successfully treated with recompression to 60 fsw (183.78 kPa), and 16 months later, a large patent foramen ovale was identified.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
Hyperbaric facilities in Canada should be aware of the rare but possible risk of decompression sickness in their inside attendants. Regular health monitoring for these workers could help identify predisposing factors like a patent foramen ovale.
Canadian Relevance
This study has no direct Canadian connection.
Study Limitations
As a single case report, the findings cannot be generalized to a larger population of hyperbaric inside attendants.