Over the weekend I watched 47 Meters Down, which is a movie about two sisters who go diving with sharks. They went diving with a group of people outside of their resort, which is not recommended for safety reasons. The winch holding the shark cage at the surface breaks and they plummet 47 meters down to the ocean floor. Throughout the movie they are communicating with the people on the boat who continually remind them they have to be careful that they do not develop what is called the “bends.” I have heard of the bends but did not know much on the subject so naturally I decided to do some research.
The bends is also called decompression sickness (DCS) or Caisson disease. The bends occurs mainly in scuba divers. DCS is the formation of gas bubbles in the body that occur as a result of the changing pressures a scuba diver experiences as they change depths. The main gas bubbles that become an issue is nitrogen bubbles. DCS can affect any part of your body. As a result, divers follow a decompression schedule to reduce the likelihood of developing DCS but they can still experience it.
An individual’s risk of developing the bends depends on the depth of the dive, the time length, and the rate of ascent. A diver’s air tank contains a mixture of different gases. As a diver descends the person and their tank experience an increase in pressure. Nitrogen is the main gas that is an issue because for every 33 feet of water the pressure of nitrogen goes up an addition 11.6 pounds per square inch. When the pressure of a gas increases so does the amount of the gas that is dissolved into the body’s tissues. The reason nitrogen is such a big problem is because the body does not use nitrogen so it continues to build up the longer the diver is in the water. When a diver attempts to surface to quickly the nitrogen bubbles block blood flow, which is painful. When the nitrogen blocks blood flow it can lead to the stretching or tearing of blood vessels and nerves.
The symptoms an individual can experience depends on the organs that are involved. The symptoms are typically seen within 48 hours of the dive. However, most symptoms develop within 6 hours. The bends most often affects the nervous and musculoskeletal systems. DCS can be broken out into two types. Type I are mild symptoms while Type II are neurologic and more serious symptoms. Some of the symptoms people experience include: pain in and around joints, fatigue, rashes, itching also known as “the creeps,” pulmonary or lung decompression sickness, burning pain in the chest, coughing, neurologic decompression sickness, lower back pain, “heaviness” of the legs, dizziness, confusion, decreased awareness, loss of consciousness, loss or limited vision, difficult with balance and/or walking.
Anyone who shows signs or symptoms of DCS should seek immediate medical attention from a doctor at an emergency care facility. The individual should be transported in supine position. It is important that the doctor is informed of the individuals recent diving history and the symptoms they are experiencing as a result. The individual will need oxygen and IV fluids. One of the typical treatments for DCS is the use of a hyperbaric recompression chamber, the recompression process can take up to 12 hours or longer. When a person goes through recompression it prevents any more bubbles from forming and provides oxygen to injured tissues. How the individual responds to treatment will determine how to proceed. After experiencing DCS an individual should be cleared before diving again. In some cases, doctors will likely recommend that they do not dive again.
Marine life and diving have always been things that really interested me. For as long as I can remember, the water has been a place where I find peace and tranquility. The water has always had a big part in my life and I hope it will continue. In the future I hope to be able to experience all these things in person instead of just watching things in videos and movies.
What is something that you are really passionate about? Does it have a strong presence in your life? How does it help you?
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