Cerebral air embolism and cerebral edema: one regimen of treatment.

A case of cerebral air embolism responding immediately to compression to 6 atm is described. The patient, however, developed apparent cerebral edema while being decompressed. Subsequent recompression on oxygen was carried out twice daily at 60 ft (18 m, 2.8 ATA) for 60 min until the patient's symptoms had nearly cleared. While a number of other medications known to affect intracranial pressure were used, objective clinical improvement was noted only after hyperbaric oxygen. A question is raised of whether there is an association between the development of cerebral edema and the administration of intravenous 5% glucose in water.