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Complications of saturation diving.
Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
|August 1, 1985
Summary
Royal Navy saturation divers experienced 6 treated bends and 33 niggles during decompression. Decompression tables are effective under 150 m, but risks increase with depth.
Area of Science:
- Diving Medicine
- Physiology
Background:
- Royal Navy saturation divers conducted 458 man-dives and 731 excursions between 50 m and 300 m.
- This study summarizes their medical and physiological experiences during these dives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of current decompression protocols for saturation diving.
- To identify risks associated with deep saturation diving and decompression.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 458 man-dives and 731 excursions data from Royal Navy saturation divers.
- Review of decompression sickness cases (treated bends and niggles) and physiological conditions.
Main Results:
- Six treated bends and 33 niggles were reported during saturation decompression.
- Dives deeper than 249 m resulted in two bends; four bends occurred with premature decompression.
- One case of vestibular decompression sickness was noted after a 300 m excursion.
Conclusions:
- Decompression tables are effective for dives shallower than 150 m.
- Decompression risk increases with depth, with limited data for deeper ranges.
- No adverse effects on decompression from deeper than 50 m were observed due to 10 m air compression.