The role of ground level oxygen in the treatment of altitude chamber decompression sickness.

Most published reports on the treatment of altitude-induced decompression sickness (DCS) deal exclusively with patients treated with hyperbaric oxygenation. Little information exists on the role of normobaric (ground level) oxygenation as a primary treatment modality for altitude-induced DCS. This study reports the U.S. Air Force experience in the treatment of Type 1 altitude chamber DCS with ground level oxygenation (GLO2) during the period 1 January 1989 to 31 December 1991. Data collected included age, sex, time of symptom development, type of initial treatment, and response to GLO2 administration. There were 221 cases of Type 1 DCS, of which 46 were treated with compression therapy without initial use of GLO2. Of the 175 cases treated with GLO2, 40 failed to resolve and were treated with compression therapy. The remaining 135 cases all resolved with GLO2, obviating the need for HBO therapy. Only 8 patients had a recurrence of symptoms after resolution with GLO2, all of which subsequently resolved with compression therapy. Factors associated with a favorable response to GLO2 are discussed.