Daily Diving Dilemmas Dexterously Defeated Part 5 (10-7)
During ascendency after diving, a diver can experience discomfort or severe problems from the change in pressure. Air pockets within the body expand when the outside pressure decreases. This can occur from holding your breath while ascending, or ascending
too quickly.
Pulmonary barotrauma, also known as “burst lung,” can occur if a diver holds his breath while ascending. Consequently, this can result in Pneumothorax, which is a collapsed lung from severe barotrauma. Interstitial emphysema can also occur after a burst
lung, from air trapped in the expanding chest. Gas loose under the skin can lead to subcutaneous emphysema. Gas embolism can also arise from burst lungs. Gas embolism is when gas or air is trapped in the bloodstream and it expands as the diver rises.
Though these effects seem very brutal, death is highly uncommon if medical attention is immediately sought, although all of these disorders cause severe and often unbearable pain. These can all be prevented by simply not holding your breath while ascending
and taking “decompression stops” while ascending. Decompression stops are used to allow the body to maintain equal pressure with the surrounding water.
Aside from ascent and descent pressure changes, the common cold can also cause painful effects on divers. Pain in the sinus occurs when the sinus is blocked by mucus. Also, an eardrum bursting outwards is common among those who dive with a cold. This is
a result of a blocked Eustachian tube.
If a diver inhales gas at high pressure, it can cause some medical and physical condition that can cause confusion underwater, which can result in death. Most common is decompression sickness, which is more commonly referred to as “the bends.” According
to Henry’s Law, gas dissolves in blood under pressure. While diving, ascending too quickly after going deep will cause gas to become highly concentrated, which can form gas bubbles in tissue, according to the depth and time of the dive.
This can be avoided by carefully planning the dive. A diver should know how long they can stay at a certain depth and still be able to ascend normally. If a normal ascent is not possible, then the diver must make sure to utilize decompression stops. This
allows for the gas within the body to adjust to the lessening pressure as the diver rises. If making decompression stops are necessary, the diver must make sure not to miss or cut short these stops. Using a diving table or a dive computer can help you understand
how far you can go, when to stop, and for how long.
Bends in snorkelers is not unheard of, but is uncommon. This is a result of many, successive deep water dives. This can be prevented by using an underwater breathing set, seeing as some divers dive as far as 100 feet without breathing apparatuses to collect
pearls and other valuable commodities. Nitrogen narcosis can be caused by breathing in high pressure nitrogen. This is corrected by not diving too deep on ordinary air and by understanding how to and how much gas to mix together to allow you to breathe safely
underwater.
Oxygen toxicity occurs most commonly in divers using re-breathers and deep diving open-circuit scuba divers. This is from breathing oxygen at a high partial pressure. High Pressure Helium Syndrome (HPNS) or Helium Tremors is caused due to breathing in an
air with a high ratio of helium. This can be prevented by adding a mixture of nitrogen or hydrogen with oxygen and helium to counteract the effects of the high partial pressure helium. Dysbarism refers to medical conditions ensuing from changes in pressure.
This includes gas embolism, barotrauma, and decompression sickness.
Sometimes, first-time divers experience uncomfortable changes in pressure although most find that the slight change in pressure can be pleasantly relaxing. Although slight pressure changes can be fine, the above conditions are caused by improper training
in deeper diving, where there is significantly higher pressure. Proper training before hand and equipment, such as a dive computer, can prevent these painful, confusing, and, eventually, deadly effects from occurring. Ask any scuba diver, nothing is more frightening
than feeling lightheaded, dizzy, and confused 100 feet below the surface.
Tags: