Treatment preferences for decompression illness amongst Singapore dive physicians

Area of Science:

• Diving Medicine
• Hyperbaric Medicine
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for decompression illness (DCI) are scarce, leading to management uncertainties.
• Practice pattern surveys offer insights into effective DCI management strategies.
• Understanding current treatment preferences is crucial for improving DCI care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify current treatment preferences for decompression illness (DCI) among diving physicians in Singapore.
• To survey the practice patterns of diving physicians regarding DCI management.
• To inform future research and clinical guidelines for DCI.

Main Methods:

• An anonymous, web-based questionnaire was distributed to diving physicians in Singapore.
• Respondent demographics were collected.
• Physicians' preferred management strategies for five distinct DCI scenarios were assessed.

Main Results:

• A 74% response rate was achieved (17 out of 23 physicians).
• All respondents indicated recompression as a necessary treatment for DCI across all scenarios.
• The most common treatment endpoint was one additional recompression session after symptom stabilization (47% of responses). Adjuvant therapies like analgesics, lidocaine, and steroids were variably employed.

Conclusions:

• While recompression is universally accepted for DCI, significant divergence exists in other management aspects.
• The findings underscore the critical need for high-quality randomized controlled trials to validate and refine DCI treatment protocols.
• Further research is essential to establish evidence-based guidelines for optimal DCI patient outcomes.