The bends, also known as decompression sickness, occurs when nitrogen gas bubbles form in the bloodstream and tissues due to rapid changes in pressure. These bubbles can block blood flow and cause damage to organs and tissues, leading to symptoms such as joint pain, numbness, fatigue, dizziness, and even paralysis or death if left untreated.
To prevent the bends, divers must follow strict decompression procedures, which involve ascending slowly to allow the nitrogen in their blood to safely off-gas. This process allows the body to gradually adjust to the changing pressure and prevent the formation of nitrogen bubbles. Divers also need to monitor their dive time and depths to ensure they do not exceed safe limits and risk decompression sickness.
In addition to following proper diving protocols, divers can also reduce their risk of the bends by staying hydrated, maintaining physical fitness, avoiding alcohol before diving, and not diving while sick or fatigued. It is also important for divers to seek immediate medical attention if they experience symptoms of decompression sickness, as prompt treatment can help prevent serious complications.
Divers who go to great depths in the ocean experience large differences in pressure between the surface and their final destinations below the surface. At times, they have to avoid quick changes in pressure because of the effects on the solubility of nitrogen in their blood. If the solubility decreases quickly, then gas bubbles can form in the person’s blood, causing a dangerous condition called “the bends.”
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