injuries poisoning
Decompression Sickness
Prevention of Decompression Sickness
Significant bubble formation can usually be avoided by limiting the depth and duration of dives to a range that does not need decompression stops during ascent (called no-stop limits) or by ascending with decompression stops as specified in published guidelines (eg, the decompression table in the chapterDiagnosis and Treatment of Decompression Sickness and Arterial Gas Embolismin theU.S. Navy Diving Manual). Many divers wear a portable dive computer that continually tracks depth and time at depth and calculates a decompression schedule. In addition to following published and computer-generated guidelines, many divers make a safety stop for a few minutes at about 4.6 m (15 ft) below the surface. However, cases can occur after appropriately identified no-stop dives, and the incidence of decompression sickness has not decreased despite widespread use of dive computers (although fewer serious cases occur). Dives<24 hours apart (repetitive dives) and dives performed at altitude require special techniques to determine proper decompression procedures. 