Usefulness of spiral CT in the prevention of pulmonary barotrauma: presentation of a case report in a hyperbaric operator]

A medical surveillance integrated system for health care workers, engaged in an hyperbaric environment exposure, was set upped and implemented in an university hospital, in accordance with doctrinal, legislative and methodological issues. In particular, a specific attention on anatomic and functional assessment of the respiratory system was applied, through an advanced technique of spiral-CT imaging, with the aim to carry out an early detection of conditions to be predispose "pulmonary barotrauma". Therefore, the present contribution proposes to illustrate clinical and instrumental data, and also to show chest spiral-CT acquired images results, in a 35-years-old nurse on assignment to an hyperbaric oxygen therapy unit. In this experience the described preventive protocol was operated in the context of a modern rational and justifiable, flexible and balanced health protection path.