/air'oh em"beuh liz'euhm/ , n. Pathol.
1. an obstruction of the circulatory system caused by air, as may arise during surgery.
2. Also called the bends, caisson disease, decompression sickness . an acute condition caused by a rapid substantial decrease in atmospheric pressure, as in high-altitude flying and coming up from deep-sea diving, characterized by the formation of nitrogen bubbles in the blood, severe pain in the lungs and joints, and neurological impairment.
[ 1935-40; AERO- + EMBOLISM ]