HEMOCONCENTRATION IN NEUROLOGICAL DECOMPRESSION ILLNESS

Decompression illness (DCI) is attributed to the formation of bubbles, resulting from the reduction of the ambient pressure. Circulating bub bles lead to capillary leak syndrome, extravasation of plasma and haem oconcentration. Experimental model on aimals has shown that a haemocon centration carried a poor prognosis. We measured the haematocrit level in fifty-eight consecutive sport divers, victims of neurological DCI, admitted to our hyperbaric center, and in sixteen control divers. No significant nt difference was found in the haematocrit values between the divers with neurological DCI (median 42.5 %) and the controls (med ian 41.75 %). The median haematocrit level was significantly higher fo r divers with neurological sequelae when compared with control (p = 0. 01) or with divers without sequelae (p < 0.05). A haematocrit level gr eater than or equal to 48 % was correlated with persistent neurologica l sequelae one month after the accident (p = 0.01). However, a haemato crit <48 % had no prognostic value.