KALKAN, Turkey — A Briton suffering from potentially fatal decompression sickness was airlifted to hospital after a scuba diving accident in Turkey. Authorities told CDNN that Selina Barbour, 27, was injured while scuba diving off Kalkan in Turkey's Antalya resort. Barbour, resurfaced after about an hour at a maximum depth of 22 meters with chest pains, a symptom of severe decompression sickness (the bends). The scuba diving accident victim was rushed to a local hospital and then transferred by helicopter to the Hiperox Hyperbaric Oxygen Centre which has a pressure chamber for treating people with decompression sickness. Officials at the medical facility said Barbour, who works at Macduff Marine Aquarium, is in good condition and expected to fully recover from her injuries. Decompression sickness (the bends) Well over half of scuba divers afflicted with decompression illness report symptoms within 1 hour of surfacing from the dive, some 95% of victims show symptoms within six hours and almost all show symptoms within 24-48 hours. Nitrogen bubbles released while resurfacing cause damage by mechanically obstructing blood flow and can also cause a local chemical disruption of the vascular beds. Any scuba diving accident victim with signs or symptoms of decompression illness, which can cause death or permanent paralysis, should IMMEDIATELY SEEK EMERGENCY MEDICAL TREATMENT. Specific symptoms include: Mild to severe joint pains involving the arms or legs.Itching of the skin, which can progress to other symptoms of decompression illness.Rashes that can be accompanied by itching.Swollen and painful lymph nodes.Pain in the head, neck, or torso, which is often indicative of a severe DSC hit.Nervous system complaints, such as weakness on one side of the body, numbness, pains shooting down an arm or leg, inability to urinate or defecate, or other strokelike symptoms. "Chokes" including burning chest pain, cough, and shortness of breath."Staggers" (indicating an inner ear problem) including a spinning sensation, deafness, ringing in the ears, or vomiting. | 
