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Pressure problems - Nonpulmonary BarotraumaBarotrauma is an injury to tissue which divers get when there is a change in pressure, the pressure compresses or expands gas in various body structures. Gases such as the air in the lungs, sinuses, middle ear or inside a facemask will compress or expand as the outside pressure increases or decreases, this then causes pain and damage to the tissue.Pulmonary Barotrauma Pulmonary Barotrauma occurs when the air inside the lungs expands due to increasing pressure on the diver's ascent. When air is under high pressure it compresses, so at a depth of around 33 feet every breath that is taken will contain twice as many molecules as a breath taken at the surface. Therefore, if a diver fills his lungs with air when at a depth of 33 feet and he was to ascend without freely exhaling, the volume of air would double and this would cause the lungs to over inflate. When the lungs over inflate small air sacs can rupture and when this happens air leaks out, when this happens air will enter the blood and is able to freely travel to any organ in the body, most commonly the heart and the brain. Air embolism is the number one cause of death among divers and this can cause death within minutes. The symptoms of pulmonary Barotrauma The symptoms of air embolism will usually become obvious within one or two minutes of the diver reaching the surface, if air embolism affects the brain then the symptoms will show as a stroke, which shows as headache, confusion, agitation and partial paralysis. A sudden loss of consciousness or seizures may also be present; a severe air embolism can cause a block in the blood flow to through the heart and the large arteries, when this happens it leads to shock and death. The condition can also cause Pneumothorax and pneumomediastinum and this will then show as a shortness of breath and chest pains, some people will also show signs such as a frothing of blood at the mouth or coughing up blood. Prevention of Pulmonary Barotrauma It is important that when divers are ascending when wearing an air tank, they must not hold their breath; any air in the lungs must be exhaled freely during the ascent. If a diver loses consciousness, soon after or while ascending then air embolism will be diagnosed and it must be treated promptly. The person should be given oxygen immediately and it is essential that they are returned straight away to a high-pressure environment. If the person is returned to a high-pressure environment then the air bubble is forced to compress and dissolve in the blood. There are a number of medical centres that have specialised treatment for this and they are called recompression or hyperbaric chambers and they are specifically designed for this purpose. |
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