Annual Diving Report - Divers Alert Network

2.5.2 Non-DCI Injury or Symptoms
2. PROJECT DIVE EXPLORATION
Twelve divers reported headaches. Ten were from Scapa Flow. Three divers reported fatigue on
their 48-hour report forms.
Out of 591 reported instances of equalization problems during the dive, six divers reported
symptoms after the dive that were severe enough to concern them or made them skip the dive.
One diver reported short-lasting vertigo. One diver had severe symptoms that were treated as
AGE and recompressed (see Case 1).
Case 1. Sinus barotrauma.
A case initially diagnosed as AGE by the treating chamber was reclassified as sinus barotrauma.
The diver was a 31 year-old male, 6 ft tall and 180 lb (BMI=24.4 kg/m 2 ), with five years of
experience and over 300 dives in the last twelve months and 1,500 dives in the last five years. He
made three dives over a two-day period. Upon arrival at the surface after a problem-free dive to
80 fsw/24 msw (Figure 2.5.2-1; PDCS=0.37%), he felt a strong pain behind his left eye and
reported seeing a bubble in his eye when looking into a mirror although his vision was normal. He
was given first aid oxygen within seven minutes after surfacing and taken to a hospital. The
oxygen did not relieve the pain. When seen by an ENT specialist after two hours, there was no
bubble in his eye, some bloody liquid poured from his nose, and the pain decreased substantially.
He was diagnosed with AGE at the chamber and treated by recompression on Table 6. By the
end of the treatment his symptoms were completely relieved. He was back to diving a week later.
DAN physicians reclassified this case as sinus barotrauma.
0
-10 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
-20
-30
-40
-50
-60
-70
-80
-90
2.5.3 Ambiguous
Time (min)
Figure 2.5.2-1 Sinus barotrauma initially classified as AGE.
PDCS = 0.37%
One diver called the DAN Hotline for advice because he said his head was “in a fog” after flying
home. His symptoms cleared completely the next day without treatment. One diver, who flew
home 36 hours post-dive, reported a mild discomfort in his left elbow during the flight. He self-
26 Annual Diving Report: 2006 Edition