Decompression sickness in South African sport divers.

During the period 1 January 1969 to 31 December 1977 56 underwater diving accidents were reported among amateur sport divers in South Africa. Of these, 4 were diagnosed and treated as decompression sickness (DS), an incidence of 7%. Analysis of the 4 cases of DS indicates that they were all in the serious type II neurological category. This is in keeping with results found in Hawaii and Australia, and the reasons for this finding are discussed. An emergency medical system (EMS) for on-site, pre-chamber and decompression chamber treatment is discussed.