How many DCS events go unreported?

Randy Thornton

Randy Thornton

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Simon Mitchell got me thinking about this topic while I was reading one of his responses on the "Cutting Edge Bubble study indicates possible damage to circulatory system" in the Diving Medicine forum here on CCRX.

I know that while on several technical diving expeditions (or trips if you don't care for the word "expedition"!), I have witnessed multiple people experience some type of DCS related event. It's usually skin bends or another somewhat minor DCS, however DCS none the less. I know for a fact, that the ones that I have witnessed have gone unreported to DAN or any other agency.

I suppose that many technical divers consider non-life threatening DCS events a minor inconvenience, so I suppose that this is one of many reasons why they are self treated and go unreported and don't result in a ride in the pot. Additionally, I have witnessed in water recompression to resolve even more serious events while diving in remote locations and I know for a fact that these have also gone unreported.

So out of curiosity, how many of you have experienced or witnessed first hand a DCS event that went unreported while tech diving?

Warm regards,
Randy

 
Aren't skin bends considered a form of type 2, ie not at all trivial?

I know I've copped a couple of hits over the year including an IWR and (apart from the recompression dive and some anti-inflammatories / aspirin) haven't bothered making much noise about it.

My mindset has been that it's only been a joint niggle, that I've seen the vast overreaction from anyone that knows what's happened for what's the equivalent of a pulled shoulder muscle so I don't want to make a fuss. I hate how much health care costs and in a public system know full well that people going in who don't need emergency care are a large part of the problem and top that off with the usual attitude of "suck it up, buttercup, and get on with it".

Like a pulled muscle, it hurts, it's annoying, it makes sleep somewhat elusive for a few days but with regular movement it sorts itself out. I appreciate how lucky I am that a bend like this usually presents very early if I start getting aggressive with profiles or gradient factors and is a handy (and convincing) reminder to take it easy, and that it gives me a soft wall to hit instead of pushing, pushing pushing and then getting a massive type 2 hit.
 
Type 1 a couple of time, in around 28 years.
First time just extreme tiredness, not technical dive but long and shallow.
Second time joint (knee), series of technical dives.
Both unreported.
Both my obvious fault! :oops:

It would be useful if everyone would report those data everytime to DAN, useful for data collection and researches.

Nad
 
Randy Thornton said:
So out of curiosity, how many of you have experienced or witnessed first hand a DCS event that went unreported while tech diving?
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While trying to help and not trying to be pedantic :), it might assist if you clearly define what you mean by "a DCS event"? As we all know one mans DCS event is another mans sore shoulder etc.

Cathal
 
cathal said:
While trying to help and not trying to be pedantic :), it might assist if you clearly define what you mean by "a DCS event"? As we all know one mans DCS event is another mans sore shoulder etc.

Cathal
Click to expand...

I think anything and everything including skin bends, sore shoulders, excessive fatigue, etc.
 
On the day I got my last one, it was kinda funny wandering around the boat afterwards. Yeah, I had a sore shoulder. And my skipping the 2nd dive to instead sit on pure O2 on the breather on board (can't hurt, right?) caused a bit of a flap. But at the end of the second dive when I was wandering around the charter boat as it head back to the jetty, I was looking at all these apparent corpses of divers who were laying on the deck, snoozing away or even the ones sitting on benches half passed out. And I was thinking "at least a third of these guys are probably experiencing subclinical DCS but no-one cares"...
 
Randy Thornton said:
Simon Mitchell got me thinking about this topic while I was reading one of his responses on the "Cutting Edge Bubble study indicates possible damage to circulatory system" in the Diving Medicine forum here on CCRX.

I know that while on several technical diving expeditions (or trips if you don't care for the word "expedition"!), I have witnessed multiple people experience some type of DCS related event. It's usually skin bends or another somewhat minor DCS, however DCS none the less. I know for a fact, that the ones that I have witnessed have gone unreported to DAN or any other agency.

I suppose that many technical divers consider non-life threatening DCS events a minor inconvenience, so I suppose that this is one of many reasons why they are self treated and go unreported and don't result in a ride in the pot. Additionally, I have witnessed in water recompression to resolve even more serious events while diving in remote locations and I know for a fact that these have also gone unreported.

So out of curiosity, how many of you have experienced or witnessed first hand a DCS event that went unreported while tech diving?

Warm regards,
Randy
Click to expand...

I have had a couple of sore spots over the years, and I called and reported them to DAN. But guess what..... the doctor (or whoever answers the hotline), listened and wasn't overly convinced and I was told to call back if it got worse. He was correct of course - they passed quickly without issue.

So keep that in mind guys - the system knows there are minor events that will pass without any need for treatment.

.
 
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rossh said:
I have had a couple of sore spots over the years, and I called and reported them to DAN. But guess what..... the doctor (or whoever answers the hotline), listened and wasn't overly convinced and I was told to call back if it got worse. He was correct of course - they passed quickly without issue.
So keep that in mind guys - the system knows there are minor events that will pass without any need for treatment.

.
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How can you make that statement based on a conversation that was had over the phone with a Doctor. You should look up how many misdiagnosis events and errors that are made by the medical profession.
 
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When I resumed cave diving in 2011 after a 10 year break, I started getting skin bent on average once a month. It turned out that I had a PFO, which I had closed in 2014.

I'd say I probably had ~20 unreported cases of skin bends between 2011 and 2014.
 
kensuf said:
When I resumed cave diving in 2011 after a 10 year break, I started getting skin bent on average once a month. It turned out that I had a PFO, which I had closed in 2014.

I'd say I probably had ~20 unreported cases of skin bends between 2011 and 2014.
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Ken, Please tell us more about your experiences. Obviously you knew what was going on and what to do about it. Did you try to self manage this condition and extend and add time yourself, and try to take any other steps to avoid the onset of a repeat occurrence? Was any of it successful?

Thanks.

.
 
Randy Thornton said:
Simon Mitchell got me thinking about this topic while I was reading one of his responses on the "Cutting Edge Bubble study indicates possible damage to circulatory system" in the Diving Medicine forum here on CCRX.

I know that while on several technical diving expeditions (or trips if you don't care for the word "expedition"!), I have witnessed multiple people experience some type of DCS related event. It's usually skin bends or another somewhat minor DCS, however DCS none the less. I know for a fact, that the ones that I have witnessed have gone unreported to DAN or any other agency.

I suppose that many technical divers consider non-life threatening DCS events a minor inconvenience, so I suppose that this is one of many reasons why they are self treated and go unreported and don't result in a ride in the pot. Additionally, I have witnessed in water recompression to resolve even more serious events while diving in remote locations and I know for a fact that these have also gone unreported.

So out of curiosity, how many of you have experienced or witnessed first hand a DCS event that went unreported while tech diving?

Warm regards,
Randy
Click to expand...
I have to admit i am guilty . I have run the gamut from just fatigue and soreness blaming it to getting up early am driving and lugging gear to and from the boat to having itchy rashes that went away after a short time to having to spend the overnight in an emergency room on 100 o2 for tingling in fingers and toes. Almost 35 years diving i always thought it was a numbers game and was a probability even if i didnt do anything stupid. Also i did not think theese events were remarkable from things other folks have felt or would learn from.
 
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A guess is that only a per mille of all DSC events are reported.
Just look here in this thread. So few answers and you already got 30-40 unrepored events.

Many doesn´t even know whats happening (skinbends), tech divers fix them selves.
The numbers of unreported events must be hudge!

I have my self about 5-6 events not reported. I was diagnosed wit PFO that opened up after one event and my DSC events escalated from that.
From diving unbent to several events in a row.

I closed my PFO and hasn´t had anything since.
 
I remember been sat on a plane on the way back from a trip in the Red Sea, with severe joint pain (this almost 1.5 day after diving), but I just ignored it and tried to get some sleep... i really was tempted to get a flight attendant and the oxygen kit as it was bad.

No lasting effects.
 
I have experienced several DCS events, mostly skin bends that I did not report or obtain treatment. Our nearest chamber is several hours away by conventional transportation so unless it is life threatening you are unlikely to get air lifted to Vancouver. When the doc at Vancouver General suggested I come in after one event I said it would be likely six hours or more before I arrived. I had been breathing O2 and symptoms were not increasing, he reluctantly agreed that treatment benefits were likely minimal.
I ended up getting PFO test which was negative. I have gone much more conservative in my deco planning. So far so good.
 
It seems over here in Malta, divers under-report (or do not report at all) skin and joint bends, which they treat on-site with normobaric oxygen, and then only come to our chamber when they get inner ear or neurological hits (we notice quite the incidence of inner ear hits in recreational divers, not related to isobaric counter-diffusion). Dangerous practice, as skin DCS can be a harbinger of more serious DCS in divers with a PFO.
 
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