Decompression sickness or Caisson disease - there is no diver who has not heard of this disease, even if only a little. Already starting the first training courses in scuba diving, the instructor tells students about the most dangerous things in diving. Including for decompression sickness. The topic of decompression and the problems that can arise for a diver if the rules of proper diving are not followed exactly are unlikely to lose their relevance. Again, let's talk about what a diver should consider before, during and after a dive to avoid the possibility of developing decompression sickness, as well as what to do if any of the symptoms of Caeson's disease appear in the diver.
During diving, the diver's body is saturated with nitrogen and when diving begins, nitrogen is slowly removed from the body. The diver's job is to ensure that virtually all of the nitrogen dissolved in the body during the dive is released from the body and does not form bubbles that can lead to decompression sickness.
The amount of dissolved nitrogen will depend on the depth and the time spent at that depth. Therefore, for each depth there are so-called No Decompression Limits (NDL). If the scuba diver does not exceed these limits, then during diving and after diving, the nitrogen accumulated in the tissues will not cause any damage to the body. With respiration, nitrogen will simply be excreted from the body.
It should be noted that if the diver also dives slowly, according to all the rules, but before that he has not observed the limits of non-decompression of a certain depth, then the nitrogen accumulated in the tissues will not be able to excrete and will remain trapped in the diver's tissues. As the external pressure decreases during swimming, the gas bubbles left in the muscles, joints, adipose tissue, bones and nerves will expand and begin mechanical compression and damage to the tissues. It is also a Caesarean or decompression sickness.
What then should be done to avoid decompression sickness:
1 - Jump out slowly and without haste.
Low dissipation speed - maximum 10m / min. - It helps to remove the nitrogen accumulated during diving before it starts to transform into dangerous bubbles.
2 - Observe the safety stop 3min / 4-6m.
Although this final stop is not a decompression stop, it can be considered as such. During a safety stop, nitrogen accumulated in the blood is removed, which has not yet been excreted at the time of dislocation.
3 - Avoid physical exertion after diving.
An increase in blood flow causes an accelerated consumption of nitrogen, and thus also promotes the formation of gas bubbles in the blood.
4 - Stop diving in shallow water.
The time spent at the end of the dive at the shallow depth helps to remove the nitrogen accumulated at the beginning of the dive from the diver's body.
5 - Avoid zig-zag diving profiles.
Repeated take-off and diving are thought to increase the chance of microbubbles forming in the arterial blood vessels.
6 - Observe a 24-hour break before the flight.
The flight immediately after the dive creates an even deeper diving effect, thus contributing to the formation of even more bubbles.
7 - Try not to freeze.
If you are frozen, blood circulation will decrease and nitrogen will be removed from the body much more slowly than usual.
8 - Drink as much fluid as possible.
If your body becomes dehydrated, the blood becomes much thicker and flows much more slowly, which means that the release of nitrogen also slows down. Remember that alcohol, wood-cola, coffee and tea are diuretics that promote dehydration.
9 - Trust, but check.
Computer algorithms only recommend but do not guarantee the 100% following a decompression procedure. For greater safety, it is recommended to follow not one, but several safety stops.
These would be recommendations that should be followed, but if something went wrong, if decompression sickness is suspected… What then?
1 - Check for symptoms.
Tingling or even paralysis, changes in skin sensitivity, dizziness, joint pain (especially of the legs), chest pain, unexplained tiredness, difficulty breathing and heartbeat, loss of consciousness, skin rash (from light pink to blue - 'skin marbling') Visual or hearing impairment, vomiting Symptoms usually appear 15 minutes to 12 hours after diving, but in very serious cases, signs of decompression sickness may still appear while the diver is under water. In any case, in decompression sickness, the diver may experience either one or more symptoms at the same time. .
2 - Do not turn around and avoid problems.
Don't expect you to get better and your symptoms will go away. Do not be shy! No need to think, "It can't happen to me," just because you don't have a beginner's certificate, you've been diving for many years, and you're keeping track of your underwater computer. Decompression meter algorithms are based on average statistics. In order to determine their physiological characteristics, it is recommended to perform special tests to determine individual resistance to decompression sickness. Pay more attention to your feelings. And remember that decompression sickness requires immediate treatment. Delaying time can lead to either more serious health problems or a much longer treatment period.
3 - Report your health problems to the person in charge of organizing the dive.
Inform the instructor or diving guide who accompanies the group, the bot captain. Describe all your health problems.
4 - Breathe in oxygen.
Allow the victim to breathe oxygen (maximum 4 hours) or a mixture of gases with the maximum possible amount of oxygen. Lay him on his left side. Follow all instructor instructions. Do not allow the victim to move too much.
5 - Contact your nearest first aid service.
It is necessary to immediately contact the special medical assistance service to ensure the fastest possible transportation of the victim to the nearest medical treatment center - a medical center, where a recompression chamber is available.
6 - Contact the on-call baroque camera or DAN (Divers Alert Network).
Central DAN (https://www.diversalertnetwork.org) the information line is open 24 hours a day. By calling DAN you will be connected to either the US or Italian office (+ 1- (919) -684-81-11 DAN or + 1- (919) 684-43-26 or + 39- (039) -605-7858 ). Remember that divers who do not have a DAN insurance policy will have to pay for evacuation and medical expenses at 100%.
The baroque cameras closest to Latvia are located in Russia - in Moscow and St. Petersburg - both of these baroque cameras are ready to receive injured divers at any time.
The Baltic States Diver Training Center is located in Liepaja (it must be said that it is a military training base).
7 - Keep your dive computer with you.
Don't forget to take your dive computer with you to the hospital for a recompression camera. Computer readings will help doctors determine the victim's level of illness more accurately and accurately.
