Ebullism is the formation of water vapour bubbles in bodily fluids due to reduced environmental pressure, usually at extreme high altitude.
The brain tissue may be starved of oxygen because of blockage of arteries resulting in rapid loss of consciousness, and the lungs may swell and hemorrhage.
Death results unless recompression is rapid enough to restore oxygenation and reduce the bubbles before excessive tissue damage occurs.
The experiments show that ebullism occurs non-uniformly at sites where conditions are most conducive to vapourisation of water and outgassing of nitrogen.
[1] Ebullism produces secondary tissue damage which, when extensive, has generally been considered fatal due to limited availability of treatment options on site.
If a pulse cannot be distinguished, and the person is unresponsive, cardiopulmonary resuscitation should be started immediately, with advanced cardiac life support and cardiovascular monitoring as soon as possible.
[1] Little information is available on the effectiveness of conventional treatment, such as hyperbaric oxygen, or adjunctive therapies, for injuries due to ebullism.
[5] Spontaneous recovery has occurred in cases where recompression was applied with minimal delay, or the damage was restricted to parts of the limbs.
[1] Ebullism risk is associated with spaceflight, particularly EVA accidents, rapid decompression of aircraft at very high altitudes, and pressure suit failure during flight and training exercises.
[10] His right-hand glove failed to pressurise and his hand expanded to roughly twice its normal volume[11][12] accompanied by disabling pain.