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Diver rushed to specialist clinic after dramatic helicopter rescue off coast
A DIVER was rushed to a specialist clinic today after a dramatic helicopter rescue off a Scots coast. The HM Coastguard was scrambled to the Isle of Whithorn region at around 3:15pm today following…
www.thescottishsun.co.uk
A DIVER was rushed to a specialist clinic today after a dramatic helicopter rescue off a Scots coast.
The HM Coastguard was scrambled to the Isle of Whithorn region at around 3:15pm today following reports of a diver with decompression sickness.
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The HM Coastguard was scrambled to the Isle of Whithorn regionCredit: Getty
The Scottish Ambulance Service also raced to the scene this afternoon.
The patient was taken off of a boat and transported to Birkenhead, Merseyside, for hyperbaric treatment.
Decompression sickness, or "the bends", is a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when dissolved gases form bubbles in the bloodstream and tissues.
The condition usually affects people who experience rapid ambient pressure changes.
Symptoms include swollen joints, mottled, itching skin, brain damage, paralysis, headaches, coughs, dizziness and nausea.
A spokesperson for HM Coastguard said: "HM Coastguard were alerted to a diver with decompression sickness in the Isle of Whithorn region at around 15:15 this afternoon.
"Scottish Ambulance, coastguard rescue teams and the HM Coastguard helicopter from Inverness were tasked to the scene.
"The patient was taken off the vessel and conveyed to Birkenhead for hyperbaric treatment."
