A tourist dies due to the bends after scuba diving this month in Bali, Indonesia. As an avid scuba diver, this is one of the scariest things that can happen to any scuba diver.
What are the bends? Here is more information about the bends:
https://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/articles/Decompression_Illness_What_Is_It_and_What_Is_The_Treatment – By Dr. E.D. Thalmann, DAN Assistant Medical Director
With reports by Renée Duncan, editor, and Joel Dovenbarger, vice president, DAN Medical Services
NOTE: This article was published in March/April 2004.
Decompression illness, or DCI, is a term used to describe illness that results from a reduction in the ambient pressure surrounding a body. A good example is what happens to your body when you’re surfacing after a dive.
DCI encompasses two diseases, decompression sickness (DCS) and arterial gas embolism (AGE). DCS is thought to result from bubbles growing in tissue and causing local damage, while AGE results from bubbles entering the lung circulation, traveling through the arteries and causing tissue damage at a distance by blocking blood flow at the small vessel level.
Another great web page explain about the bends from scuba diving is at http://www.emedicinehealth.com/decompression_syndromes_the_bends/article_em.htm
- The bends, also known as decompression sickness (DCS) or Caisson disease occurs in scuba divers or high altitude or aerospace events when dissolved gases (mainly nitrogen) come out of solution in bubbles and can affect just about any body area including joints, lung, heart, skin and brain.
- Decompression sickness (DCS) is caused by the formation of bubbles of gas that occur with changes in pressure during scuba diving. It is also experienced in commercial divers who breathe heliox (a special mixture of oxygen and helium), and astronauts and aviators that experience rapid changes in pressure from sea level. Scuba diving will be the focus of this article as it is the most common activity that may result in the bends.
This scuba diver passed on due to the bends – Here is the article with more information on this situation – http://indonesiaexpat.biz/news/bends-bali-tourist-death/
Here is part of that article – Decompression sickness has been blamed as the likely cause of death of a Singaporean tourist who died in Bali last week after a diving session at Padangbai.
Wong Yu Yi, a 48-year-old doctor, was reportedly an experienced diver with around 100 dives under her belt before a dive last Wednesday, Sept. 6. She signalled to the guide she needed help during the dive.
“We immediately took her to Padangbai Beach, then to Penta Medika Clinic,” guide Nyoman Ariastawan told Bali Post.
Yi was declared dead on arrival.
I have dived in Padangbai, Bali with Aquamarine a few times as well as other places in Bali. No matter where one scuba dives one must always make sure safety is the first, second, and third of the top priorities. Also, scuba diving starts at least one to two days prior. One must get the body prepared. Lack of sleep, too much alcohol and caffeine as well as lack of water can add to the possibilities of getting the bends no matter how safe a scuba diver is in the water.
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