Intracardial gas bubbles and decompression sickness while flying at 9,000 m within 12-24 h of diving

Abstract

Intracardial gas bubbles, detected with Doppler ultrasound, and symptoms of decompression sickness were registered at 9,000 m simulated altitude within 12, 18, and 24 h of exposures to 15 or 39 m simulated water depth allowing no stage decompression. With a time interval of 12 h between diving and flying, the earliest intracardial bubbles were found in some subjects already during the first minutes at altitude, and the earliest symptoms of decompression sickness some minutes afterwards. With an 18-h interval, the earliest bubbles and symptoms as well as their average time onsets appeared somewhat later. With a 24-h interval, the earliest bubbles and symptoms were detected slightly later, i.e. after 17 min and 23 min, respectively. Thus, a safe time interval between no-stage decompression dives and flying at 9,000 m cabin altitude for a maximum of 15 min appears to be 24 h. For prolonged such flights, a longer time interval seems to be necessary.