DIVERS WITH “THE BENDS”

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28264, 30 April 1957, Page 8

DIVERS WITH “THE BENDS”

Underwater Swimming

Hazard

One of the most dreaded afflictions which can occur to divers, “the bends,” was suffered by several underwater club enthusiasts in New Zealand during the last season. How persons suffering from this complaint should be treated for resuscitation will be discussed when the annual meeting of the New Zealand Surf Life-Saving Association is held in Wellington in June. Cases of “the bends” occurring among underwater enthusiasts in Auckland was reported to the instructional conference conducted by the surf association recently. The conference is respbnsible for deciding what matters go before the annual meeting of the association. The conference was told that North Island surf club members had been engaged in helping spear fishermen who had dived deeply and come to the surface too fast. “The bends” had resulted from too much nitrogen replacing the oxygen in the bloodstream. In severe cases, this causes the sufferer’s blood to bubble. Symptoms of “the bends” occurred 11 times in Auckland last season, and where possible, patients were placed in the decompression chamber which is being used in conjunction with the building of the Auckland Harbour bridge. Although no cases of “the bends’ ’have been reported in Christchurch, anyone unfortunate enough to be afflicted with it would probably be sent to the decompression unit at the Royal New Zealand Air Force station, Wigram.