Eli5 how does decompression illness kill you?

Question

Eli5 how does decompression illness kill you?

In: 509

Answer 1

Because nitrogen bubbles build up in your blood and if they get to critical areas they can cause serious irreversible damage.
For example, if you had bubbles build up in the coronary arteries of your heart, no blood gets to your cells in your heart and life is just not worth living without oxygen and nutrients. You go into cardiac arrest if too much damage happens and boom, game over bro.