Which scenario is a classic example of a dysbarism injury?

• A. Rapid ascent during scuba diving causing decompression sickness
• B. Prolonged exposure to heat
• C. Hypothermia from cold weather
• D. Altitude sickness during flight

Answer: (A)

Dysbarism injuries come from rapid changes in ambient pressure. In scuba diving, the pressure at depth is high, and nitrogen dissolves in the body's tissues. If you ascend quickly, the pressure drops faster than nitrogen can be expelled by the lungs, so nitrogen comes out of solution as bubbles in tissues and blood. Those bubbles can disrupt blood flow and irritate tissues, producing pain, dizziness, weakness, skin symptoms, or neurological signs—classic decompression sickness, a textbook example of a dysbarism injury.

Prolonged exposure to heat, hypothermia from cold weather, and altitude sickness during flight involve heat, temperature regulation, or hypoxia rather than gas bubbles formed from a rapid pressure change, so they aren’t considered dysbarism injuries.