Vol 59, No 1-4 (2008)
DIVING/HYPERBARIC MEDICINE
Submitted: 2013-02-18
Published online: 2010-03-29
Recompression treatment for decompression illness: 5-year report (2003-2007) from National Centre for Hyperbaric Medicine in Poland
Jacek Kot, Zdzisław Sićko, Maria Michałkiewicz, Edward Lizak, Piotr Góralczyk
Vol 59, No 1-4 (2008)
DIVING/HYPERBARIC MEDICINE
Submitted: 2013-02-18
Published online: 2010-03-29
Abstract
A serious diving accident can occur in recreational diving even in countries where
diving is not very popular due to the fact that diving conditions there are not as great as
in some tropical diving locations. The estimated number of injured divers who need
recompression treatment in European hyperbaric facilities varies between 10 and 100
per year depending on the number of divers in the population, number of dives
performed annually, and number of hyperbaric centres in the country. In 5 years of
retrospective observation in Poland (2003-2007) there were 51 cases of injured
recreational divers recorded. They either dived locally or after returning home by air
from a tropical diving resort. All of them were treated with recompression treatment in
the National Centre for Hyperbaric Medicine in Gdynia which has capability to treat
any patient with decompression illness using all currently available recompression schedules with any breathing mixtures including oxygen, nitrox, heliox or trimix. The
time interval between surfacing and first occurrence of symptoms was significantly
lower in the group of patients with neurological decompression sickness or arterial gas
embolism (median 0.2 hours) than in the group of patients with other types of
decompression sickness (median 2.0 hours). In both groups, there were different types
of recompression tables used for initial treatment and different number of additional
sessions of hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) prescribed, but the final outcome was
similar. Complete resolution of symptoms after initial recompression treatment was
observed in 24 cases, and this number was increased to 37 cases after additional HBO
sessions (from 1 to 20). In the final outcome, some residual symptoms were observed in
12 cases. In 2 cases initial diagnosis of decompression sickness type I was rejected after
initial recompression treatment and careful re-evaluation of diving profiles, risk factors
and reported symptoms.
Abstract
A serious diving accident can occur in recreational diving even in countries where
diving is not very popular due to the fact that diving conditions there are not as great as
in some tropical diving locations. The estimated number of injured divers who need
recompression treatment in European hyperbaric facilities varies between 10 and 100
per year depending on the number of divers in the population, number of dives
performed annually, and number of hyperbaric centres in the country. In 5 years of
retrospective observation in Poland (2003-2007) there were 51 cases of injured
recreational divers recorded. They either dived locally or after returning home by air
from a tropical diving resort. All of them were treated with recompression treatment in
the National Centre for Hyperbaric Medicine in Gdynia which has capability to treat
any patient with decompression illness using all currently available recompression schedules with any breathing mixtures including oxygen, nitrox, heliox or trimix. The
time interval between surfacing and first occurrence of symptoms was significantly
lower in the group of patients with neurological decompression sickness or arterial gas
embolism (median 0.2 hours) than in the group of patients with other types of
decompression sickness (median 2.0 hours). In both groups, there were different types
of recompression tables used for initial treatment and different number of additional
sessions of hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) prescribed, but the final outcome was
similar. Complete resolution of symptoms after initial recompression treatment was
observed in 24 cases, and this number was increased to 37 cases after additional HBO
sessions (from 1 to 20). In the final outcome, some residual symptoms were observed in
12 cases. In 2 cases initial diagnosis of decompression sickness type I was rejected after
initial recompression treatment and careful re-evaluation of diving profiles, risk factors
and reported symptoms.
Keywords
decompression illness; arterial gas embolism; recompression treatment; hyperbaric oxygen therapy; diving accident
Title
Recompression treatment for decompression illness: 5-year report (2003-2007) from National Centre for Hyperbaric Medicine in Poland
Journal
International Maritime Health
Issue
Vol 59, No 1-4 (2008)
Pages
69-80
Published online
2010-03-29
Page views
609
Article views/downloads
1466
Bibliographic record
IMH 2008;59(1-4):69-80.
Keywords
decompression illness
arterial gas embolism
recompression treatment
hyperbaric oxygen therapy
diving accident
Authors
Jacek Kot
Zdzisław Sićko
Maria Michałkiewicz
Edward Lizak
Piotr Góralczyk