Mahon RT, Dainer HM, Gibellato MG, Soutiere SE. Short oxygen prebreathe periods reduce or prevent severe decompression sickness in a 70-kg swine saturation model. J Appl Physiol 106: 1459–1463, 2009. First published January 29, 2009; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.91058.2008.— Disabled submarine (DISSUB) survivors are expected to achieve saturation with inert gas. However, rescue procedures may not a...

For systematic study of the effects of clinical severity, time to recompression with oxygen, and re-treatment on outcome from spinal cord DCS, case records from the recompression chamber at the U.S. Naval Station Subic Bay were reviewed. Forty-nine cases of spinal cord DCS were classified using a numerical severity index and time to recompression with oxygen. Cases were divided by initial sever...

Decompression sickness (DCS) is classified on the basis of which organ system is affected, and neurological DCS is considered more severe than DCS in joints and skin with respect to response to recompression treatment and risk of long-term sequelae. Gas bubble formation interstitially in the tissues or in the circulation is considered to be the mechanism for all types of DCS. Ten patients diagn...

Decompression sickness (DCS) is a well-known hazard of exposure to significant variations in ambient pressure. The diagnosis and management of DCS is frequently a source of confusion. Although the majority of cases are manifested by joint or limb pains (Type I DCS), patients may present with a wide array of symptoms, such as neurologic deficits, headache, fatigue, nausea, and respiratory diffic...

Decompression sickness (DCS), as clinically diagnosed by reversal of symptoms with recompression, has never been reported in aquatic breath-hold diving vertebrates despite the occurrence of tissue gas tensions sufficient for bubble formation and injury in terrestrial animals. Similarly to diving mammals, sea turtles manage gas exchange and decompression through anatomical, physiological, and be...

Decompression sickness occurs when a sufficiently large gas phase forms within the tissues of the body after a reduction in ambient pressure. Arterial gas embolism occurs secondary to pulmonary barotrauma when gas is forced into the pulmonary vasculature. Although they may clinically present in a similar fashion, the underlying pathophysiology of the two conditions is quite different.

BACKGROUND Extravehicular activity (EVA) is required from the International Space Station on a regular basis. Because of the weightless environment during EVA, physical activity is performed using mostly upper-body movements since the lower body is anchored for stability. The adynamic model (restricted lower-body activity; non-ambulation) was designed to simulate this environment during earthbo...