Central nervous system involvement following type I aviator's bends complicated by complacency.
A false sense of security surrounds the possibility of post-flight complications resulting from "aviator's bends." The accepted clinical clue that a patient is at risk for serious complications is the presence of some form of dysbarism at altitude. This principle has been inappropriately extended to imply that serious post-flight complications of the evolved gas syndrome only follow serious in-flight symptoms. This paper, in addition to reporting the occurrence of post-flight neurologic signs in a patient after Type I pain-only bends during an altitude chamber flight, also identifies a broader subtle complacency in the professional community that routinely deals with hypobarics.
D000328:Adult; D001273:Atmosphere Exposure Chambers; D001290:Attitude; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology; D003665:Decompression Sickness / Q000150:complications*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005528:Foot; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009461:Neurologic Manifestations; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D012021:Reflex, Abnormal; D012026:Reflex, Stretch; D013026:Space Flight