Consequences of U.S. Navy diving mishaps: decompression sickness

This study identified the short- and long-term health effects among U.S. Navy divers (n = 328) who suffered decompression sickness (DCS) between January 1968 and December 1979 and compared their post-DCS hospitalization rates with a matched sample of divers (n = 1,086) who had no recorded diving accidents. Results identified 251 individuals (76.5%) whose records contained no diving-related medical events after the DCS incident; the other divers (23.5%) had records of a subsequent hospital admission and/or a physical disability separation. Only three physical disabilities were attributed to DCS or diving, and there were no DCS-related deaths. DCS divers had significantly higher rates than controls for total hospitalizations, symptoms and headache, and diseases of the arteries and veins. These two clusters, which included such conditions as pain in the joint, abnormal involuntary movement, pain in the limb, and arterial embolism, were identified as potential risks for divers who suffer a DCS mishap. Previous hospitalizations and age were not associated with DCS; however, divers in the DCS group were significantly heavier than all other divers.