Plain English Meaning

When pressure around the body drops too quickly, the nitrogen that is normally dissolved in your blood and tissues can fizz out as tiny bubbles, much like opening a soda bottle. Those bubbles can cause pain, breathing trouble, skin problems, or serious nervous system symptoms.

Full Definition

A form of decompression sickness in which dissolved nitrogen comes out of solution in the body's tissues and bloodstream as the surrounding pressure drops, forming bubbles that can lodge in joints, muscles, the lungs, the skin, or the central nervous system. It typically becomes a risk for pilots flying at cabin altitudes above about 18,000 feet, especially after recent scuba diving.

Context Anchor

Seen in pressurized-aircraft and high-altitude flight discussions, especially when studying rapid cabin pressure loss or flight at altitudes where the body is exposed to much lower pressure.