|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
Bends
BendsHow Do Doctors Treat the Bends? What Do Scuba Divers Need to Know? The bends is a painful condition that occurs in scuba divers who ascend too quickly or in aviators flying at high altitudes. Also called decompression sickness, the bends results when bubbles from dissolved gases form in the blood or in tissues because of rapidly decreasing pressure. KEYWORDS for searching the Internet and other reference sources Decompression sickness Hyperbaric chamber Scuba diving The bends is also called decompression sickness or caisson* sickness. When a person is scuba diving, the water pressure increases with depth. As depth increases, the pressure of the air breathed also must increase. This causes more of the air to dissolve in the bloodstream.
How is the Body Affected?The main components of air are oxygen and nitrogen gases. Oxygen is continuously used by the body, but nitrogen is not used. When a diver ascends, the pressure decreases and the blood can no longer hold all the nitrogen dissolved in it. If a diver ascends slowly, the nitrogen escapes into the lungs and is breathed out harmlessly. But if the diver ascends rapidly, the nitrogen forms bubbles in the blood that can lodge at joints such as the elbow or knee and cause pain. In severe cases, extreme pain causes the sufferer to double over, hence the common name “the bends.” Symptoms of the bends usually show up within 90 minutes of diving but may take as long as two days. Minor cases cause itching, rash, joint pain, or skin discoloration. Severe cases cause symptoms such as extreme pain at the joints, headache, seizures, hearing problems, nausea and vomiting, back or abdominal pain, vision disturbances, or chest pain. How Do Doctors Treat the Bends?Minor cases of the bends usually require no treatment, although a doctor should be consulted. Treatment of severe cases, however, requires a hyperbaric (hy-per-BARE-ik) chamber, a device that creates pressure to redissolve the gas bubbles. The patient is placed under high-pressure conditions, and then the pressure is slowly decreased. Prompt treatment increases the chances for a complete recovery. What Do Scuba Divers Need to Know?There are about 5 million people who scuba dive. Scuba divers must be certified and must take training classes, where they learn how to dive safely to avoid decompression sickness. The bends is a preventable condition when safety rules are followed strictly. See also ResourceMarine Medical Systems, 84 North Main Street, South Norwalk, CT 06854. Marine Medical Systems posts a fact sheet about diving injuries and decompression sickness at its website. Telephone 800-272-3008 http://www.marinemedical.com/diving.htm |
|
|
Cite this article
"Bends." Complete Human Diseases and Conditions. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Bends." Complete Human Diseases and Conditions. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3497700060.html "Bends." Complete Human Diseases and Conditions. 2008. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3497700060.html |
|
bends
bends (decompression sickness) Syndrome, mostly seen in divers, featuring pain in the joints, dizziness, nausea, and paralysis. It is caused by the release of nitrogen into the tissues and blood. This occurs if there is a too rapid return to normal atmospheric pressure after a period of breathing high-pressure air (when the body absorbs more nitrogen). Treatment involves gradual decompression in a hyperbaric chamber.
|
|
|
Cite this article
"bends." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "bends." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-bends.html "bends." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-bends.html |
|
bends
bends.
1. A name sometimes applied to the thickest planks on the side of a wooden ship from the waterline or turn of the bilge upwards. They are, however, more properly called wales, and have the beams and knees of the hull structure bolted to them. 2. The colloquial name for decompression sickness. See also diving. |
|
|
Cite this article
"bends." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "bends." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-bends.html "bends." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-bends.html |
|
bends
bends (bendz) n. see compressed air illness.
|
|
|
Cite this article
"bends." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "bends." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-bends.html "bends." A Dictionary of Nursing. 2008. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O62-bends.html |
|
bends
bends see decompression sickness . |
|
|
Cite this article
"bends." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 26 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "bends." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. (May 26, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-bends.html "bends." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Retrieved May 26, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-bends.html |
|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries:
HighBeam™ Research, Inc. © Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
The Encyclopedia.com advertising network includes:
