Air bubbles entering arteries can lead to which diving injury?

Air bubbles entering the arteries can lead to an Arterial Gas Embolism, which is a serious condition that occurs when gas bubbles enter the bloodstream and obstruct blood flow. This typically happens during diving when a diver ascends rapidly, which can cause dissolved gases, mainly nitrogen, to form bubbles in the blood and tissues due to the decreased pressure at shallower depths. If these bubbles enter the arterial circulation, they can travel to the brain, heart, or other vital organs, leading to significant complications such as stroke or ischemia.

In contrast, barotrauma involves tissue damage caused by pressure changes but is not specifically related to gas bubbles in the vascular system. A pneumothorax is the presence of air in the pleural space, typically caused by lung over-expansion during ascent. Decompression sickness, also known as "the bends," involves the formation of nitrogen bubbles due to rapid decompression, but these bubbles typically affect tissues and joints rather than entering the arterial system directly. Arterial Gas Embolism is thus the specific condition that directly relates to air bubbles entering the arteries during a dive.