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Old 8th Nov 2012, 22:02
  #26 (permalink)  
homonculus
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
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No. The tables you refer to relate to depressurising to about 8000 feet a diver who has followed normal ascent tables. This is because the ascent tables have to balance perfection with the need to ascend at a reasonable rate for recreation and tank endurance. In other words you are ok if you remain at sea level but further decompression MAY be a problem.

This is different from a diver who has not ascended correctly and so has developed the bends. The correct policy is to start hyperbaric treatment as soon as possible to get the emboli back into solution in the blood. This is far more important than trying to navigate at 500 feet.

The problem arises from micro emboli in very small blood vessels so the size of the bubbles is pretty irrelevant.

So the current consensus is not to use fixed wing unless the patient is in a chamber or the aircraft can overpressurise, but rotary altitudes are acceptable.
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