Briton critical after Polis dive

TWENTY-NINE-year-old Briton Joanna MacPherson was diagnosed yesterday as suffering from nitrogen narcosis following a scuba diving accident.

MacPherson had been scuba diving in Polis Chrysochous with her 47-year-old partner on Monday. As soon as she came out of the water she started feeling dizziness, vertigo and muscle weakness, all of which are symptoms of nitrogen narcosis. She was immediately taken to Polis Chrysochous Hospital, where the doctors diagnosed that her condition was critical. A helicopter was deployed to transport her to Limassol Hospital and from there to the decompression unit of a private clinic.

“The young woman and her partner had stayed under water for approximately 43 minutes, at a depth of 29.4 meters, which caused the aforementioned symptoms, as well as nausea and shoulder aches,” explained medical examiner Dr. Savvas Savvoulla.

The Briton was kept in the decompression unit for five and a half hours, until her symptoms improved. She was then taken back to the unit for two and a half hours more.

Her condition remains critical, but doctors said her speedy transfer to the decompression unit had averted the possibility of paralysis.

Along with the bends, which is a risk during the ascent of a dive, narcosis is one of the most dangerous conditions to affect scuba divers. The most dangerous aspect of narcosis is the loss of decision-making ability, loss of focus, and impaired judgment.

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