First aid

If there is a suspicion of a diving accident, the following measures should be taken, as they can be life-saving: In the first place, the alarm of the rescue services. If possible, pure oxygen should be given to the patient. If unconscious, put the patient in a shock position (as known from the driver’s license course) and control breathing and pulse.

If breathing or pulse stops, perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Throughout the procedure, make sure that the patient is kept warm with blankets.If the patient is conscious, then do not perform a shock position, as this can cause the cerebral pressure to rise, but prefer a stable lateral or supine position. The rescue services should initiate an infusion therapy with 500ml – 1000ml liquid and a pressure chamber treatment with hyperbaric oxygen.

Decompression sickness type I

Decompression sickness type I (DCS I) mainly affects tissues that are less supplied with blood, such as skin, muscles, bones and joints. In 70% of the cases, the symptoms appear within the first hour after the dive. However, there have also been cases described where the symptoms of DCS I still appeared after 24 hours.

On the skin, blue-red discolorations with swelling and severe itching (diving fleas) appear, caused by the occlusion of the small blood and lymph vessels. In the musculature, the blisters cause a pulling pain and sensitivity to pressure. This lasts for several hours and then turns into the symptomatology of a sore muscle.

In the bones, joints and ligaments, pain and restriction of movement come to the fore. The knee joint is most frequently affected. The pain in the joints is called “bends”.

This comes from caisson workers who suffered from the occupational disease caisson disease and had a bent posture (English “to bend” = “bends”). With DCS I, a pure oxygen treatment is sufficient for the symptoms to disappear. Since DCS I is often the precursor of the dangerous DCS II, treatment in the pressure chamber should still be carried out.