What are bends symptoms?
(Decompression Illness; Caisson Disease; The Bends)
- Symptoms can include fatigue and pain in muscles and joints.
- In the more severe type, symptoms may be similar to those of stroke or can include numbness, tingling, arm or leg weakness, unsteadiness, vertigo (spinning), difficulty breathing, and chest pain.
What is decompression syndrome?
Decompression sickness, also called generalized barotrauma or the bends, refers to injuries caused by a rapid decrease in the pressure that surrounds you, of either air or water. It occurs most commonly in scuba or deep-sea divers, although it also can occur during high-altitude or unpressurized air travel.
What is Caisson’s disease?
Acute decompression syndrome (Caisson’s disease) is an acute neurological emergency in divers. It is caused due to release of nitrogen gas bubbles that impinge the blood vessels of the spinal cord and brain and result in severe neurodeficit.
What is the pathophysiology of decompression sickness?
Decompression sickness is due to supersaturation of the tissue with dissolved gas and subsequent evolution of gas bubbles. Gas embolism results from the direct transit of molecular gas from a pulmonary or intravascular origin into the arterial circulation causing occlusion of a distal locus.
What does skin bends look like?
Its primary symptom is a swelling of the skin, most often on the chest or arms. Swollen areas will have a pitted appearance, like the skin of an orange, and may be painful. If a swollen area is pressed lightly with the tip of a finger, the resulting indentation will remain for a few moments.
How are bends treated?
Treatment for the Bends The bends are treated in a hyperbaric recompression chamber. The doctor will first treat immediate life threats, such as breathing problems or shock, if present. The diver will need high-flow oxygen and IV fluids.
What happens if decompression sickness goes untreated?
Untreated joint pain that subsides could cause small areas of bone damage (osteonecrosis). If this happens through repeated instances of DCS, there may be enough damage to cause the bone to become brittle, or for joints to collapse or become arthritic.
How is decompression treated?
Emergency treatment for decompression sickness involves maintaining blood pressure and administering high-flow oxygen. Fluids also may be given. The person should be placed left side down and if possible the head of the bed tilted down.
What is caisson’s disease really called today and what causes it?
Decompression sickness (abbreviated DCS; also called divers’ disease, the bends, aerobullosis, and caisson disease) is a medical condition caused by dissolved gases emerging from solution as bubbles inside the body tissues during decompression.
What happens when you get the bends?
The bends, also known as decompression sickness (DCS) or Caisson disease, occurs in scuba divers or high altitude or aerospace events when dissolved gases (mainly nitrogen) come out of solution in bubbles and can affect just about any body area including joints, lung, heart, skin and brain.
When is a patient most likely to develop symptoms of Type I Decompression illness?
Onset. Although onset of DCS can occur rapidly after a dive, in more than half of all cases symptoms do not begin to appear for at least an hour. In extreme cases, symptoms may occur before the dive has been completed.
What is the first aid treatment for decompression sickness?
Immediate emergency treatment includes fluid therapy, administration of 100% oxygen, and positioning in the left lateral decubitus (Durant’s maneuver) and mild Trendelenburg position. Hyperbaric chambers may be freestanding or associated with a local hospital.