Which condition involves gas bubbles forming in the blood vessels of divers?

Which condition involves gas bubbles forming in the blood vessels of divers?

• A. Malloy-Weiss syndrome
• B. Decompression Sickness
• C. Agonist
• D. Mittelschmerz

Answer: (B)

Gas bubbles forming in the blood vessels of divers is decompression sickness. When a diver ascends too quickly, the ambient pressure drops and dissolved inert gas (mainly nitrogen) comes out of solution and forms bubbles in tissues and in the bloodstream. These bubbles can block small vessels, causing ischemia and a range of symptoms such as joint and muscle pain, dizziness, paresthesias, weakness, cognitive or neurological changes, and, in severe cases, chest pain or respiratory distress. The hallmark is the formation of gas emboli that disrupt circulation, which is why rapid ascent is dangerous and why treatment focuses on recompression in a hyperbaric chamber with 100% oxygen therapy to shrink and dissolve the bubbles. Other terms listed are unrelated to diving physiology: one describes a mucosal tear from forceful retching, another is ovulation-related pain, and the last is a pharmacology term for a substance that activates receptors.

Gas bubbles forming in the blood vessels of divers is decompression sickness. When a diver ascends too quickly, the ambient pressure drops and dissolved inert gas (mainly nitrogen) comes out of solution and forms bubbles in tissues and in the bloodstream. These bubbles can block small vessels, causing ischemia and a range of symptoms such as joint and muscle pain, dizziness, paresthesias, weakness, cognitive or neurological changes, and, in severe cases, chest pain or respiratory distress. The hallmark is the formation of gas emboli that disrupt circulation, which is why rapid ascent is dangerous and why treatment focuses on recompression in a hyperbaric chamber with 100% oxygen therapy to shrink and dissolve the bubbles.

Other terms listed are unrelated to diving physiology: one describes a mucosal tear from forceful retching, another is ovulation-related pain, and the last is a pharmacology term for a substance that activates receptors.