The effectiveness of ground level oxygen treatment for altitude decompression sickness in human research subjects.
BACKGROUND
Current therapy for altitude decompression sickness (DCS) includes hyperbaric oxygen therapy and ground-level oxygen (GLO). The purpose of this paper is to describe the Air Force Research Laboratory experience in the extensive use of GLO for the treatment of altitude DCS in research subjects.


METHODS
Data were collected from 2001 altitude chamber subject-exposures. These data, describing DCS symptoms, circulating intracardiac venous gas emboli, and treatment procedures used were collected for each subject exposure and stored in an altitude DCS database.


RESULTS
In the database of 2001 subject exposures, 801 subjects (40.0%) were diagnosed with altitude DCS. Subjects reporting DCS symptoms were immediately recompressed to ground level. Of the 749 subjects who received 2 h GLO, 739 (98.7%) resolved completely and required no further treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Although not an operational study, these data provide indirect support for the current USAF guidelines for the treatment of altitude DCS with GLO.
Krause
K M
KM
Air Force Research Laboratory, Brooks Air Force Base, TX, USA.
Pilmanis
A A
AA
D000337:Aerospace Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D000465:Algorithms; D000532:Altitude Sickness / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D003663:Decision Trees; D003665:Decompression Sickness / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008889:Military Personnel; D010102:Oxygen Inhalation Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States