Patients with decompression sickness and air embolism must be treated in what facility?

• A. Recompression chamber
• B. Standard hospital room
• C. Ambulatory clinic
• D. Outpatient oxygen tent

Answer: (A)

Decompression sickness and air embolism are treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which is delivered in a recompression chamber. Increasing the ambient pressure in the chamber shrinks the gas bubbles in the blood and tissues (Boyle’s law) and allows higher levels of oxygen to reach damaged areas, speeding nitrogen washout and improving tissue oxygenation. This combination is the only therapy that can directly reverse the bubble effects and reduce symptoms, especially when the nervous system or lungs are involved. Other settings like a standard hospital room, ambulatory clinic, or outpatient oxygen tent cannot provide the necessary pressurized environment or the high inspired oxygen levels needed for definitive treatment. Prompt transport to a hyperbaric facility is essential for the best outcome.