The time will depend on the severity of the case. A hyperbaric chamber is a pressurized chamber that replicates the pressure of a deep-sea dive. It allows the gas bubble to shrink and be reabsorbed into the bloodstream. The chamber is slowly depressurized and the gases are safely removed.
The chamber also provides huge amounts of oxygen to damaged cells to allow them to repair themselves. The prognosis of patients suffering from the bends is generally good providing they can access medical care. Usually, one hyperbaric treatment is sufficient to cure the bends. Some symptoms like joint pain and fatigue can linger for days or weeks after treatment.
If you are not better after your treatment, your doctor may recommend further treatments. There are a number of ways to reduce the risk of getting the bends.
The most important thing is to remember to rise slowly. You need to take time at different depths to adjust to the pressure. You should also not spend longer than the recommended time at your maximum depth. There are tables that allow you to work out how long you can stay at different depths. You need to avoid putting your body under unnatural pressures while the gases safely escape your body. It is also a good idea to maintain general healthy practices before and after diving. You should not drink alcohol before diving, avoid hot tubs, saunas, and steam rooms after diving, and avoid diving if you have been feeling unwell.
The bends is a painful condition that can cause serious, long-lasting damage if not treated. In the early years of diving, the bends was often fatal. We all know what happens when you release the pressure in a bottle of soda -- bubbles suddenly start rising. The gas dissolved in the water at high-pressure comes out of the liquid when the pressure is released, and we see it as bubbles.
If a SCUBA diver stays under water , say at a depth of feet about 30 meters , for a certain period of time, some amount of nitrogen from the air will dissolve in the water in his or her body. If the diver were to swim quickly to the surface, it is just like uncorking a bottle of soda -- the gas is released. This can cause a very painful condition, and it is sometimes fatal. If the diver does rise too fast, the only cure is to enter a pressurized chamber in which the air pressure matches the pressure at depth breathing percent oxygen on the way to the chamber also helps.
Then, the pressure is released slowly. Decompression sickness, also known as the bends , is one danger of diving. Other dangers include nitrogen narcosis, oxygen toxicity and simple drowning if you run out of air before making it back to the surface. If the diver decompresses properly, remains at "recreational depths" less than feet or so , and is careful about the air supply, the dangers can be largely eliminated.
Proper training, good equipment and careful execution are the keys to safe diving. But if a diver rises too quickly, the nitrogen forms bubbles in the body. This can cause tissue and nerve damage. In extreme cases, it can cause paralysis or death if the bubbles are in the brain.
Nitrogen narcosis: Deep dives can cause so much nitrogen to build up in the brain that you can become confused and act as though you've been drinking alcohol. You might make poor decisions, such as taking out your regulator because you think you can breathe underwater. Narcosis usually happens only on dives of more than feet.
What are the symptoms? Mild symptoms can include: Pain in your ears, sinuses, or teeth. Joint pain. Extreme fatigue. Severe symptoms can include: Numbness and tingling in your arms and legs. Trouble breathing. Staggering or other trouble walking. Trouble seeing. Chest pain. Passing out losing consciousness. How are scuba injuries treated? Nitrogen narcosis gets better on its own when you reach the surface. How can you prevent scuba injuries? Related Information Marine Stings and Scrapes.
When you scuba dive with compressed air, you take in extra oxygen and nitrogen. Your body uses the oxygen, but the nitrogen is dissolved into your blood, where it remains during your dive. As you swim back toward the surface after a deep dive, the water pressure around you decreases. To continue reading this article, you must log in. Already a member? Login ». As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.
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