Case Report: Arterial Gas Embolism Induced Ageusia

http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a550194.pdf


Case Report: Arterial Gas Embolism Induced Ageusia

Blake D. Lollis, Robert Johnson, Harlan M. Walker

This article details a previously unreported arterial gas embolism (AGE) clinical presentation. A military aircrew candidate water survival course trainee lost his sense of taste (“ageusia”) after only a few compressed air breaths and ascending from the shallow depth of 4 ft. Ageusia was his only AGE sign or symptom. Rapidly diagnosing and treating AGE and other decompression illnesses is essential for positive patient outcomes and requires understanding the anatomic and physiologic effects of atmospheric pressure changes.

Published in the Journal of the Society of United States Naval Flight Surgeons, Contact, Vol. 33, No. 2, July 2011