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Decompression sickness in surface decompression breathing air instead of oxygen.
Jan Risberg1,2, Helle Midtgaard3
1NUI, Bergen, Norway.
Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine
|September 17, 2024
Summary
Commercial divers experienced decompression sickness (DCS) after breathing air instead of oxygen during surface decompression. Despite the error, DCS incidence was lower than expected, suggesting moderate omitted decompression time has a small effect.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Diving Medicine
- Physiology
Background:
- Commercial diving operations require meticulous decompression protocols to prevent decompression sickness (DCS).
- Surface decompression with oxygen is a standard procedure to minimize residual nitrogen loading.
- Technical errors during decompression can lead to significant physiological risks for divers.
Observation:
- Eleven divers performed 91 dives to depths of 23.5-36.2m breathing compressed air.
- A technical error led to divers breathing compressed air instead of oxygen during planned surface decompression.
- Two divers developed DCS, with one experiencing a severe relapse after recompression using the same erroneous procedure.
Findings:
- Despite the air breathing error during decompression, only two of eleven divers developed DCS over 91 dives.
- The median omitted decompression time was 17 minutes (range 0-26 min) based on the Bühlmann ZHL-16C algorithm.
- Five divers later reported mild, previously unreported DCS symptoms compatible with the incident.
Implications:
- Moderate omissions in decompression time may have a lower impact on DCS incidence than anticipated.
- This incident highlights the importance of procedural adherence and backup systems in diving operations.
- Further research is needed to fully understand the risk factors and protective elements in such decompression errors.
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