![]() ![]() Preventing pulmonary barotrauma is extremely easy - just do the first thing you were taught as a new OW student.Īnd remember: Never, ever ignore chest pain before, during, or after a dive. Surprisingly, while the affected diver may feel like he has been struck in the chest area, most often he will not be aware that lung tearing has occurred until the leaked air has entered the extrapleural space or an arterial gas embolism has been precipitated. Last is subcutaneous emphysema, where escaped air travels underneath the skin, typically around the neck, resulting in voice changes, crackling sounds underneath the skin, and difficulty swallowing. In mediastinal emphysema, air escapes and enters the space between the chest and lung, expands and places pressure the lungs, heart, or blood vessels. ![]() The next most worrisome is pneumothorax, where gases enter the space between the lungs’ two outer linings, expand and cause the lung to collapse. AGE happens when gas from the lungs escapes into the bloodstream, forms bubbles, expands, and impedes blood circulation. The most serious is arterial gas embolism. Pulmonary barotrauma manifests in three basic forms, several of which can be fatal. ![]() Even a small amount of air trapped in the lungs can expand on ascent, rupturing the lung and causing life-threatening embolisms. Because the lungs deal with expanding and contracting volumes of gas, they are most at risk for barotrauma. And it takes little to cause it - swimming-pool depths and an increase of just 1.5 pounds per square inch. This injury occurs on ascent when the gas in the lungs doesn’t have a ready exit. And the reason is lung overexpansion injury. What’s the first rule you were taught in your Open Water training? If you answered, “Don’t hold your breath,” you’re right. ![]()
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