What is the immediate need of a diving victim with stable vital signs suffering from an air embolus or decompression sickness?

The immediate need of a diving victim suffering from an air embolus or decompression sickness is to undergo recompression in a hyperbaric chamber. This treatment is critical because recompression rapidly reduces the size of the nitrogen bubbles formed in the bloodstream, which are the primary cause of symptoms associated with these conditions. The hyperbaric chamber creates an environment where the pressure is significantly increased, allowing the gas bubbles to dissolve back into the body safely.

Administering oxygen is an important part of treatment as well, as it helps to support the victim until recompression therapy can be performed. However, the priority is ensuring that the patient is taken to a facility capable of providing hyperbaric treatment, as this is the definitive care for both air embolus and decompression sickness. Immediate surgery is typically not indicated except in severe or life-threatening cases where other complications arise, and observation alone would not provide the necessary intervention required to treat the underlying condition effectively.