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Delayed treatment of serious decompression sickness.
Annals of Emergency Medicine
|March 1, 1985
Summary
Delayed recompression therapy effectively treats diving decompression sickness symptoms, even days after the initial injury. This approach resolves residual symptoms, indicating its benefit for bubble effects and tissue hypoxia.
Area of Science:
- Diving Medicine
- Hyperbaric Medicine
- Emergency Medicine
Background:
- Diving decompression sickness (DCS) can cause residual symptoms.
- Delayed treatment of DCS is often considered less effective.
Observation:
- Three patients with residual DCS symptoms presented for recompression therapy 3-7 days post-exposure.
- All patients experienced complete symptom resolution despite the delay.
Findings:
- Late recompression therapy can be effective for DCS.
- Symptom resolution suggests efficacy in addressing residual bubble effects and tissue hypoxia.
Implications:
- DCS symptoms should be treated promptly, regardless of the time elapsed since injury.
- Treatment recommendations for DCS should extend to 10-14 days post-injury.