Other medical problems in Scuba Diving

Carbon-monoxide poisoning happens infrequently in scuba diving and its only common cause is contaminated compressed air in open-circuit scuba. Symptoms-the diver’s becoming disoriented or unconscious, especially during ascent-may not appear until the diver approaches the surface. Bring the victim to the surface and give him fresh air. Get him out of the water if possible and give him oxygen to breathe. If he is not breathing, give him artificial respiration. To prevent carbon-monoxide poisoning, you must be sure of the purity of the breathing gas. Keep compressor air intakes away from engine exhausts. The maximum allowable concentration of carbon monoxide in compressed air for scuba use is 20 parts per million, or 0.002 per cent.

Excess carbon dioxide may accumulate in the breathing system of closed-circuit scuba if the absorption system fails, or if the diver exceeds the capacity of the absorption system by overexertion. The accumulation may be gradual. The usual symptoms are awareness of increased breathing, light-headedness, sleepiness, dizziness, faintness, blurring of vision, and difficulty in hearing. In some instances, rapid increase of carbon dioxide may cause the diver to lose consciousness without becoming aware of these usual warning signals. The treatment is simple, provided that there is no complication such as drowning. If your buddy develops symptoms at depth, flush his breathing bag to wash out any retained carbon dioxide. Bring him to the surface and let him breathe air. Exposure to the air is all that is required if the victim is breathing. If he is not breathing, give him artificial respiration and administer oxygen. The aftereffects rarely include more than headache, nausea and fatigue.

Another possible problem with closed-circuit scuba is oxygen deficiency. This may occur because the system was not properly purged, or because the supply gas is not pure oxygen. In semiclosed-circuit scuba, oxygen deficiency may be a considerable hazard. The supply contains inert gas, and the failure of the injector system can allow the oxygen to fall to a critically low point. Here again, the symptoms may only appear during ascent. The diver may lose consciousness, stop breathing, and die if he does not have oxygen in short order.

Under water, give the victim more oxygen in his breathing medium. In closed-circuit scuba, flush his bag with oxygen. In semiclosed-circuit scuba, flush his bag with mixed gas and continue to flush it periodically. He will recover rapidly if he is still breathing. If the victim is not breathing, get him out of the water, remove his scuba, and start artificial respiration immediately. Provide oxygen if available.

Proper maintenance of any equipment in which it can occur will minimize the hazards of oxygen deficiency. Bends, or decompression sickness, are the result of formation of gas bubbles in the blood or tissue. They will not occur unless a diver comes up too rapidly from depth. The best prevention is to observe all precautions to avoid a too rapid ascent from any deep dive. The symptoms are pain, twinging, numbness, or nervous system disturbances, and the treatment is by recompression in a recompression chamber.

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