What is barotrauma?
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Dr Deco
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Dear junior:
Barotrauma means trauma (= injury to tissue) resulting from pressure changes. The name is Greek from pressure injury but actually refers to pressure CHANGE injury. Thus hitting your thumb with a hammer is certainly barotrauma in the literal sense, but that is not what is meant here.
In the case of diving physiology, one means injury derived from some poor observance of Boyles law. While you will not get a ticket for a violation of this law, you might be serving time in a hospital or clinic.
The most common barotrauma is a squeeze that results from the inability of gas to enter of leave a cavity of the body (such as a facial sinus). A pressure difference then results from the depth of the water and the pressure of air in the sinus. This problem to equalize might result from a cold or allergy that has plugged the openings of the sinuses. This is not an uncommon problem on land, but it is a bigger headache for a diver. The pressure of the water is transmitted throughout the body by fluids (particularly the blood) as the pressure is equalized. This is known in physics as Pascals principle.
The worst problem that occurs is when gas is trapped in the lungs and one performs an ascent. This causes pulmonary barotrauma. The lungs are blown up like a balloon and will soon rupture. The gas escapes into the thoracic cavity (= chest) and a pneumothorax results. The air in the chest cavity compresses the lungs and the diver has a great difficulty breathing.
Of graver consequences yet is when the lung ruptures into the blood stream, and gas bubbles are forced into the systemic arteries where it is carried to the brain and spinal cord. This results in a stroke-like condition. From is barotrauma, the divers is paralyses, possibly loses consciousness, and even death can ensue.
This is all different from DECOMPRESSION SICKNESS where the gas phase is growing by an inward diffusion of dissolved gas. While there is a small expansion of tissue micronuclei by the upward excursion and reduction in pressure (a consequence Boyles law), the real grow is because dissolved nitrogen migrates into the bubble. These bubbles grow and block blood vessels, compress nerves, and can even change some of the local body chemistry.
Dr Deco
Barotrauma means trauma (= injury to tissue) resulting from pressure changes. The name is Greek from pressure injury but actually refers to pressure CHANGE injury. Thus hitting your thumb with a hammer is certainly barotrauma in the literal sense, but that is not what is meant here.
In the case of diving physiology, one means injury derived from some poor observance of Boyles law. While you will not get a ticket for a violation of this law, you might be serving time in a hospital or clinic.
The most common barotrauma is a squeeze that results from the inability of gas to enter of leave a cavity of the body (such as a facial sinus). A pressure difference then results from the depth of the water and the pressure of air in the sinus. This problem to equalize might result from a cold or allergy that has plugged the openings of the sinuses. This is not an uncommon problem on land, but it is a bigger headache for a diver. The pressure of the water is transmitted throughout the body by fluids (particularly the blood) as the pressure is equalized. This is known in physics as Pascals principle.
The worst problem that occurs is when gas is trapped in the lungs and one performs an ascent. This causes pulmonary barotrauma. The lungs are blown up like a balloon and will soon rupture. The gas escapes into the thoracic cavity (= chest) and a pneumothorax results. The air in the chest cavity compresses the lungs and the diver has a great difficulty breathing.
Of graver consequences yet is when the lung ruptures into the blood stream, and gas bubbles are forced into the systemic arteries where it is carried to the brain and spinal cord. This results in a stroke-like condition. From is barotrauma, the divers is paralyses, possibly loses consciousness, and even death can ensue.
This is all different from DECOMPRESSION SICKNESS where the gas phase is growing by an inward diffusion of dissolved gas. While there is a small expansion of tissue micronuclei by the upward excursion and reduction in pressure (a consequence Boyles law), the real grow is because dissolved nitrogen migrates into the bubble. These bubbles grow and block blood vessels, compress nerves, and can even change some of the local body chemistry.
Dr Deco
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