Pulmonary barotrauma after a free dive--a possible mechanism.
Pulmonary barotrauma during scuba diving is a life-threatening event. In a skin diver, who does not use compressed air, this complication is rare and its pathophysiology is not readily understood. We present a young, healthy skin diver who suffered pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema after a sequence of free dives to 5 m, and suggest a possible mechanism.
Kol
S
S
Israeli Naval Hyperbaric Institute, Haifa.
Weisz
G
G
Melamed
Y
Y
D000328:Adult; D001469:Barotrauma; D004242:Diving / Q000293:injuries*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008478:Mediastinal Emphysema / Q000209:etiology*; D013352:Subcutaneous Emphysema / Q000209:etiology*