Nijk P D, van Rees Vellinga T P, van Lieshout J M, Gaakeer M I
Admiraal De Ruyter Ziekenhuis, afd. Spoedeisende Geneeskunde, Goes.
Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2017;161:D1459.
During scuba diving, nitrogen dissolves into the body tissues due to elevated pressure under water. During a sudden drop in pressure due to a rapid return to the water surface, arterial gas embolism can arise from pulmonary barotrauma. In a later phase, nitrogen bubbles can also arise in the venous circulation (decompression sickness). Arterial bubbles can incur vascular damage, obstruction, hypoxia and infarction.
A 53-year-old healthy sport diver presented at the emergency department in a hypovolemic shock with progressive paresis of all the extremities. He had made an emergency ascent from a depth of 47 meter. During recompression therapy his condition deteriorated. It transpired that he had an patent foramen ovale. As a consequence of this, nitrogen bubbles due to decompression sickness entered the arterial circulation. Despite maximum therapeutic intervention the patient remained paretic.
After an ill-fated dive, this patient with patent foramen ovale contracted arterial gas embolism due to pulmonary barotrauma and, at a later stage, decompression sickness. There was increasing damage to the spinal cord resulting in severe physiological disruption.
在水肺潜水过程中，由于水下压力升高，氮气会溶解到身体组织中。在因快速返回水面导致压力突然下降时，动脉气体栓塞可能由肺气压伤引起。在后期阶段，氮气气泡也可能出现在静脉循环中（减压病）。动脉气泡会导致血管损伤、阻塞、缺氧和梗死。
一名53岁的健康运动潜水员因低血容量性休克并伴有四肢进行性麻痹而被送往急诊科。他从47米深处紧急上浮。在再压缩治疗期间，他的病情恶化。结果发现他有卵圆孔未闭。因此，减压病导致的氮气气泡进入了动脉循环。尽管进行了最大程度的治疗干预，患者仍处于麻痹状态。
在一次不幸的潜水后，这名患有卵圆孔未闭的患者因肺气压伤患上了动脉气体栓塞，并在后期出现了减压病。脊髓损伤不断加重，导致严重的生理紊乱。
