Scuba Diving Training

The mechanism of pulmonary barotrauma during scuba diving

Much feared decompression sickness, if explained in simple terms, is a pain resulting from rapid change in pressure that can occur in scuba diving. Alternately the decompression sickness is referred to as the bends. To be more precise, the bends is a form of decompression sickness caused by dissolved nitrogen leaving the tissues too quickly resulting from the rapid change in pressure during the ascent in course of scuba diving. The air (gas) bubbles that form in a diver's bloodstream can cause lungs burst resulting in a severe trauma that needs to be treated in a hospital emergency room to avoid fatal outcome. The decompression sickness or decompression disease is a frequent cause of death of many scuba divers.

It is important for every scuba diver to understand the mechanism of this dangerous phenomena so you could consequently better understand the proper mechanism of avoiding it. This can ensure that your scuba diving experience is safe and enjoyable.

The normal atmosphere pressure on the surface is 1 atmosphere, which ensures average volume of 6 liters of the air in the human lungs. When scuba diver goes down during dive, he or she starts experiencing gradual growth of the water pressure on the body and the lungs. Each 10 meters (33 feet) of death adds 1 extra atmosphere of the pressure. Simple calculations show that at the depth of 10 meters the pressure in a scuba diver's lungs will double, and it will triple at the depth of 20 meters (66 feet). The depth of 100 feet (approximately 30 meters) will result in pressure inside the diver's lungs increased by 4 times. At the depth of 100 feet the volume of the air or gas inside the scuba diver's lungs will accordingly get reduced to just 1.5 liters.

Just imagine what is going to happen should scuba diver hold his/her breath at such depth and starts resurfacing (ascending to the surface). Should scuba diver do so, the air in their lungs will start expanding as the person moves up, because like as during the descent the air gets compressed because of growing water pressure, now there occurs a completely opposite process. As the pressure of the surrounding water gets reduced, the air pressure in the lungs starts growing meaning the air starts expanding rapidly, and if you don't start ventilating your lungs (breathing in a slow manner and without any intervals), the air will just burst your lungs tissue.

Slow and regular breathing during the ascent is vital for scuba diver's survival in the water. Therefore every scuba diver is being taught by scuba diving instructor to breath properly and to never hold breath while resurfacing. Otherwise the barotrauma would be unavoidable in principle.