Diving accidents: Various Dive Apparatus
SCUBA Gear:
HOOKAH Equipment:
RE-BREATHER Equipment:
COMMERCIAL DIVINING Equipment:
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- Medical Factors: Including pathology, psychology and physiology
- Diving Techniques: running out of air, failure to stay in visual contact with a dive buddy
- Equipment problems: faults, misuse and loss of equipment
- Environmental factors: current, depth and visibility
The terminal event in each case is drowning, and when investigated in depth may arise from:
- Inability to swim
- Panic
- Fatigue
- Decreased level of consciousness
- Natural disease - acute myocardial infarct, asthma, diabetes, epilepsy
- Trauma
- Entrapment in caves or wrecks
- Physical disability
- Equipment malfunction
As the diver descends, the total pressure of breathing air increases and therefore the partial pressures of the individual components increase proportionately (Dalton's Law). As the decent continues, increasing amounts of nitrogen dissolve in the blood.
With increasing depth, the nitrogen in compressed air equilibrates through the alveoli into the blood. As the dive continues, more nitrogen dissolves and accumulates in the lipid component of tissue (Henry's Law).
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1. Type 1 (Mild)
- Mild pains that begin to resolve with 10min
- Pruritus (an itching or burning sensation of the skin)
- Cutis marmorata (skin rash)
2. Type 2 (Severe)
- Pulmonary symptoms (burning substernal discomfort; non productive cough; severe respiratory distress)
- Hypovolemic shock (victims are often dehydrated)
- Nervous system involvement (sensory disturbances)
3. Arterial gas embolization
- Signs and symptoms depend on where the emboli travel: coronary embolization can lead to myocardial infarction or dysrhythmia; cerebral emboli may cause stroke or seizures.