Dysbarism Among Hyperbaric Personnel

Caisson disease or decompression sickness has long been recognized as a hazard of rapid reductions in environmental pressure whether these reductions occur on return to normal atmospheric pressure from high pressure environments or as a result of reductions in pressure by real or simulated ascents to high altitudes. With the increasing use and availability of medical hyperbaric chambers, the effects of increased atmospheric pressure and subsequent decompression on medical personnel have become more important. The risk of hyperbaria may be greater for medical personnel since this group differs in many respects from the highly selected groups employed in diving, caisson work, and high altitude flying. There have been no previous reports of the incidence and severity of symptoms of dysbarism and decompression sickness occurring during the operation of medical high-pressure chambers. Scattered brief comments have indicated that decompression sickness does occur among chamber personnel. 1,2 The characteristics of decompression sickness