Most, but not all, hospitals along the Gulf Coast have decompression chambers for treating the bends................
“ The missile specialist was initially treated for hyperventilation, though the report stated that the failure to recognize he was suffering from the bends, likely did not impact the outcome.”
I have a difficult time believing this statement.
This was in Alaska, but, I’d think a military hospital is equipped.
I dont think the author or the person putting out the report understands the physiology of the bends. While you can get hypoxia (lack of O2 to the brain) at high altitude if you are not on an O2 system, the bends is created by nitrogen under pressure dissolving into the blood and working its way into muscle, then vaporizing into bubbles if the pressure is reduced too quickly, typically from surfacing too quickly while SCUBA diving.
Regarding altitude sickness: Acute mountain sickness is not fatal and therefore not encountered by medical examiner/coroner systems. High altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) and high altitude cerebral edema (HACE) are fatal if not treated promptly.