Recompression And Medical Ethics

[boulderjohn]

Kevin, while cave divers have a large voice on the Internet, our actual numbers are relatively small.

Remember that Florida is the third most populace state in the country. Divers in general represent only a very small percentage of that population, and north Florida cave divers represent only a tiny percentage of the diving population. There is a heck of a lot more hyberbaric medicine going on there than the occasional DCS case.

 

[Stoo]

Our local chamber in Tobermory relies on regular medical stuff to cover costs... The place would (thankfully) grow cobwebs if it replied on emergency treatments to pay for it.

The clinic here (part of a Family Medicine Clinic) is headed up by Dr. George Harpur who is an ex-military hyperbaric doc who has dedicated his career to sport diving accident research. They are currently well into a fund-raising programme to pay for a new (refurbished), larger chamber set to open in early May.

I just returned from a trip to Belize and voluntarily paid $1/tank towards the Chamber in San Pedro. It's my understanding that this fee goes towards ongoing operation and should you need it, it covers your treatment like an insurance plan. I have suggested begin a similar programme here, although with socialized medicine, it's less of an issue here.

 

[Kevrumbo]

There's a big difference. On one hand, you have experienced chamber operators and medics treating a diver for which they need medical consultation. On the other, you have an crew in the Midwest (not North Florida, I don't believe I said that) who'd never run a Table 6 but had the medical training and experience to deal with complications in the chamber. . .

No DDM . . .not necessarily professional “experienced” Recompression Chamber Operators . . .on Truk, in addition to the paid Chamber Operator/Facility Director there are trained volunteer/relief chamber operator crews & medics/nurses coming from the Hospital, along with trained personnel whose day jobs are at the major Dive Operations (Truk Lagoon Dive Center, Blue Lagoon Resort, Truk Odyssey Liveaboard etc).

If they can train the necessary BLS personnel to make at least a level 5 trauma facility for acute DCS/AGE care & treatment and make this system viable in a remote poor central pacific region like Chuuk Micronesia, why can’t y’all do the same in North Florida USA?

Kevin, while cave divers have a large voice on the Internet, our actual numbers are relatively small. Cave divers are but a small fraction of the tourist population that visit the area to enjoy the gin-clear springs and other park attractions. Truk is a primarily a diving destination- N FL happens to have diving, great diving, in fact, and for cave divers, it is a dive destination - but it is much more than that for the rest of the population.

"Argue for your limitations --and sure enough, they're all yours. . ."

Chamber Day / Evening 2016
A review of DAN Annual Accident Reports shows that the most common problems contributing to diving accidents were making a rapid ascent, loss of buoyancy control, overexertion, feeling cold and missed decompression stops. Yet in some reports close to 50% of divers treated reported no problems occuring during their dives. So can you imagine developing symptoms after inadvertently having a problem during your dive (or completing a dive with no problems) and hearing "Sorry, there's no chamber in the area so there’s nothing we can do for you." Fortunately, that's NOT the case in SoCal because, since 1974, we can rely on the USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber to be there for us.

Now in 2016, we are celebrating our Chamber's 42nd year of unbending service to the Southern California diving community. While our Chamber still gets about 50% of its funding from the County, Chamber Day & Eve have become the major source of funds to keep our Chamber available to us 24/7/366. And that's why we hope you'll participate in Chamber Day & Eve 2016 on Wednesday, May 4. . .

WHY WE DO THIS

Whether it’s a boat, a store, a club, a manufacturer, another organization, or an individual, those of us who work behind the scenes put a lot of time and effort into Chamber Day & Eve 2016 because we believe it’s really important to have our Chamber available to us 24/7/366. When a dive accident occurs, getting an injured diver to our Chamber alive means that he/she has an excellent chance of survival and recovery. Knowing this while you’re performing first aid, administering oxygen, or doing whatever it takes is a reassuring thought. Our Chamber is an invaluable safety net that we simply don’t want to lose. Your participation in any or all of the facets of Chamber Day will help to ensure our Chamber’s future.

Ken Kurtis (Chairman, Chamber Day/Eve 2016)

&

Karl Huggins (Director, USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber)

There's your motivation North Florida --now quit making excuses or useless trivial intellectualization like attributing it all to "medical ethics", "lack of trained medics/chamber personnel" or "population demographics". . .

 

[The Chairman]

Too bad hyperbaric chambers can't treat trolls!

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Kev, I don't want to be a jerk, but right now it appears that you're too caught up in your zealousness to acknowledge your own ignorance. I'll engage you in conversation when you can be a little more polite.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[Kevrumbo]

Too bad hyperbaric chambers can't treat trolls!

If that's all you can do to make a difference & find a solution in such a serious matter in your neck of the woods --then you're the worst terminal case of a troll yourself Pete. . .

 

[Kevrumbo]

Kev, I don't want to be a jerk, but right now it appears that you're too caught up in your zealousness to acknowledge your own ignorance. I'll engage you in conversation when you can be a little more polite.

Best regards,
DDM

Not zealotry, but sheer contempt of the standard of care out there in Florida for dive accident victims (and being polite has nothing to do with it). . . any more lame excuses you'd like to engage DDM?

We've had a viable model for the treatment and care of dive accident victims here in SoCal --for the past 42 years (and that's certainly without DAN's "help"). . . Why can't you follow and do the same? What's your problem out there?? Who's really being ignorant in this instance DDM?

 

[Reku]

Can I buy a chamber and put it in the back of a semitruck and drive around N/mid Florida - I'll meet the helicopter halfway!

How feasible would it be to put a filling station and a chamber in a semitrailer?


This is a serious question - even though it sounds insane.


This seems relevant: gas embolism at vortex springs. 7 days ago.

Scuba diver almost dies; turned away from E.R.

 

[Kevrumbo]

Can I buy a chamber and put it in the back of a semitruck and drive around N/mid Florida - I'll meet the helicopter halfway!

How feasible would it be to put a filling station and a chamber in a semitrailer?


This is a serious question - even though it sounds insane.

Again, with some state & local corporate sponsorship (Dive Rite, Halcyon, Univ of Florida -etc) set-up or re-establish an emergency HBOT facility out there in Cave Country. (Along with general wound care, why can't you set-up such a emergency covering multiplace Recompression Chamber facility over there in Gainesville/Univ of Florida Medical Center?)

Or at least have some form of organized rotating 24/7 Recompression Chamber coverage amongst the private operators in the immediate region. Recruit and train volunteer Chamber Crews, rotate them in 24/7 stand-by with tacit cooperation & use of facilities from the local private chamber operators.

Work out the legalities and make this happen!!!

 

[Reku]

Rotating chamber is suggested in that article I posted. With the 12 that are in N Florida - hospitals would have to do it 2-3 times depending on the month length.

That cost is a drop in the bucket compared to .... $9,100,00 per human life - as stated by the EPA as of 2011.

FDA values us at $7.9m and Dot values us at $6m - for reference.