Decompression sickness Decompression sickness Decompression sickness (DCS; also known as divers' disease, the bends, aerobullosis, or caisson disease) describes a condition arising from dissolved gases coming out of solution into bubbles inside the body on depressurisation. DCS most commonly refers to problems arising from underwater diving decompression (i.e., during ascent), but may be experienced in other depressurisation events such as emerging from a caisson, flying in an unpressurised aircraft at altitude, and extravehicular activity from spacecraft. DCS and arterial gas embolism are collectively referred to as decompression illness. Since bubbles can form in or migrate to any part of the body, DCS
Oxygen window in diving decompression at a shallower stop at the same risk, or at the same rate at the same depth at a lower risk, or at an intermediate rate at an intermediate depth at an intermediate risk. Use of 100% oxygen is limited by oxygen toxicity at deeper depths. Convulsions are more likely when the pO exceeds . Technical divers use gas mixes with high ppO in some sectors of the decompression schedule. As an example, a popular decompression gas is 50% nitrox on decompression stops starting at . Where to add the high ppO gas in the schedule depends on what limits