What are the benefits of providing a high concentration of oxygen to an injured diver?

Providing a high concentration of oxygen to an injured diver offers multiple benefits that work together to aid recovery and mitigates the effects of diving-related injuries, such as decompression sickness and arterial gas embolism.

Firstly, oxygen therapy can significantly accelerate the elimination of inert gases, particularly nitrogen, from the body tissues and blood. When a diver ascends too quickly or reaches depths that exceed their body's ability to manage nitrogen levels, nitrogen bubbles can form. Administering high concentrations of oxygen helps to facilitate the diffusion of nitrogen out of the body, thereby speeding up the inert gas elimination process.

Secondly, delivering high levels of oxygen can reduce the size of gas bubbles that may have formed during a dive. These bubbles can obstruct blood flow and cause further complications. By breathing pure oxygen, the diver can potentially promote the absorption of these bubbles back into the blood plasma, effectively shrinking them and lessening their harmful effects.

Lastly, enhancing oxygen delivery to tissues is crucial in the treatment of hypoxia, which can occur as a result of gas embolism or other diving injuries. Higher oxygen concentrations improve the availability of oxygen within the bloodstream to revive tissues that may be suffering from a lack of adequate oxygen supply due to injury.

Therefore, all these benefits combine to make high-con