잠수부에서 발생한 폐의 과도팽창증 = Hyperinflation Accident Developed in an Underwater Walker

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Reduction of ambient pressure, as in a diver's ascent from depth, causes intrapulmonary gas to expand in accordance with Boyle's law. This expansion presents the possibility of alveolar rupture of the lungs which can cause subsequent interstitial and mediastinal emphysema, pneumopericardium, and subcutaneous emphysema on the neck, or pneumothorax through the pleural rupture. Continued normal breathing during ascent usually permits the expanding gas to escape unnoticed, but emergency ascents under holding of breath may result this kind of accidents. This type of illness differs from decompression sickness (bends, caisson disease) that results the formation of gas bubbles in the blood or tissues leading into intravascular air embolism and infarction. This occurs only when the divers are decompressing with excessively dissolved inert gas under the pressure environment and not becomes in shallow diving. The author had experienced one case of hyperinflation accident in 26 years old male diver recently, and according to this case, discussed the diving accidents including definition classification, mechanism and treatment.