Ebullism syndrome
Background
- Ebullism syndrome, also known as ebullism or boiling blood syndrome, can occur if the ambient pressure is less than the vapor pressure ot normal body temperature. The condition is not remedied with O2 prebreathing as it occurs due to the formation of the gas phase of water due to lack of ambient pressure (vacuum).
- Venous return can be obstructed due to bubble formation obstructing the venae cavae[1]
- One human exposed to a near vacuum for 5 minutes required multiple hyperbaric oxygen treatments and two chest tubes, but did recover fully[2]
Clinical Features
Mild
- Joint pain and swelling
- Muscle weakness and fatigue
- Skin rash or lesions
- Respiratory distress
- Cardiac arrhythmias
- Numbness, tingling, and confusion
Severe
Differential Diagnosis
Space medicine
- Anemia of spaceflight
- Bone loss of spaceflight
- Contact dermatitis of spaceflight
- Ocular foreign body (microgravity)
- Ebullism syndrome
- Interpersonal conflicts in spaceflight
- Nitrogen tetroxide toxicity
- Hydrazine toxicity
- Pulmonary disorders of spaceflight
- Sleep disorders of spaceflight
- Space adaptation syndrome
- Space dentistry
- Space motion sickness
- Spaceflight headache
- Spaceflight testicular torsion
- Spaceflight urinary retention
- Spaceflight urinary tract infection
Management
- Based soley on case reports, treatment involves symptom control, immediate return to re-pressurization, and for severe symptoms, hyperbaric oxygen.
Disposition
See Also
External Links
References
- ↑ Kemph JP, Burch BH, Beman FM, Hitchcock FA. Further observations on dogs explosively decompressed to an ambient pressure of 30 mmHg. J Aviat Med 1954; 25:107–112.
- ↑ Kolesari GL, Kindwall EP. Survival following accidental decompression to an altitude greater than 74,000 feet (22,555 m). Aviat Space Environ Med 1982; 53:1211–1214.