Recompression and Adjunctive Therapies in Decompression Illness in Divers: A Review of RCTs

ABSTRACT

Background

Decompression illness (DCI) poses significant risks for divers, particularly in remote locations with limited resources. Few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) exist, necessitating a review to consolidate current evidence and support evidence-based treatment protocols. This review evaluates RCT evidence on the effectiveness of recompression treatment and adjunctive therapies for diving-related DCI.

Methods

This review included RCTs assessing recompression treatment or adjunctive therapies in managing DCI. Exclusions were non-human studies, trials on DCI prevention, non-English publications, incomplete trials, and those involving non-diving DCI. Databases searched from inception to May 15, 2023, included Ovid MEDLINE, CENTRAL, CINAHL, and EMBASE. Citation chasing was performed on June 1, 2023, using Web of Science. Risk-of-bias assessments were guided by considering the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials.

Results

Two RCTs were identified. One trial (n=180) indicated that tenoxicam might reduce the number of required recompressions from three (range 1-8) to two (range 1-6). The other trial (n=41) showed that a shorter initial recompression treatment table could decrease the number of recompressions (median one vs. two) in cases of mild DCI.

Discussion

Limitations included unblinded participants, small participant numbers, non-protocol interventions, participant blinding, and incomplete outcome data. Recommendations for future research include reaching a consensus on a universal scoring system to support the clear definition and selection of participants, subgroup analyses, and inter-trial comparisons.

Keywords: decompression illness; decompression sickness; decompression tables; evidence; review article