Decompression (diving) If the concentration gets too high, it may reach a stage where bubble formation can occur in the supersaturated tissues. When the pressure of gases in a bubble exceed the combined external pressures of ambient pressure and the surface tension of the bubble-liquid interface, the bubbles grow, and this growth can damage tissue. If the dissolved inert gases come out of solution within the tissues of the body and form bubbles, they may cause the condition known as decompression sickness, or DCS, also known as divers' disease, the bends or caisson disease. However, not all bubbles result in symptoms, and
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