Diving disorders

Diving Disorders

Diving disorders, also known as dive-related medical conditions, encompass a range of medical issues that can arise from underwater diving activities. These conditions are primarily associated with the underwater environment's unique challenges, including pressure changes, breathing gas mixtures, and prolonged immersion. Understanding these disorders is crucial for divers, dive instructors, and medical professionals involved in dive medicine.

Types of Diving Disorders

Diving disorders can be broadly categorized into three main groups: decompression sickness, gas toxicity, and barotrauma.

Decompression Sickness

Decompression sickness (DCS), also known as "the bends," occurs when dissolved gases, primarily nitrogen, come out of solution in bubbles and can affect any body area. Symptoms can range from joint pain and rashes to paralysis and death. Immediate treatment with hyperbaric oxygen therapy is critical for recovery.

Gas Toxicity

Gas toxicity in diving can result from the inhalation of breathing gases at high pressures. The primary types include oxygen toxicity and nitrogen narcosis. Oxygen toxicity can affect the central nervous system and lungs, leading to seizures or respiratory failure. Nitrogen narcosis, often called "rapture of the deep," causes a state of euphoria and impairment of judgment, similar to alcohol intoxication.

Barotrauma

Barotrauma refers to the physical damage that occurs when there is a pressure difference between the inside and outside of a body cavity. It can affect the ears (ear barotrauma), sinuses, and lungs (pulmonary barotrauma). Symptoms may include pain, dizziness, and in severe cases, lung over-expansion injuries leading to air embolism.

Prevention and Treatment

Prevention of diving disorders involves proper dive planning, adherence to dive tables, and the use of dive computers to monitor depth and time underwater. Divers should also undergo thorough training, maintain good physical fitness, and ensure they are medically fit to dive.

Treatment varies depending on the disorder but may include administering 100% oxygen at the surface for suspected DCS or gas toxicity and seeking hyperbaric oxygen therapy for confirmed cases. Barotrauma requires the management of symptoms and, in severe cases, surgical intervention.

Dive Medicine

Dive medicine, also known as undersea and hyperbaric medicine, is a medical specialty that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diving-related disorders. Professionals in this field work to improve diving safety and develop guidelines for safe diving practices.

See Also

• Hyperbaric Medicine
• Scuba Diving Safety
• Underwater Diving