fatality in Maldives

[bqualls]

The British press is reporting that a 38 year old woman died 3 days into a liveaboard trip due to DCI. Her family faults a delay in medical as contributing to her death.
Reported to be on the MV Sea Spirit. Sea Spirit appears to offer Nitrox. I wonder if she was diving Nitrox?
I understand that Nitrox doesn't give DCI immunity, but I am curious.

 

[Rythmmaker]

Here's a link to the article in the Daily Mail: British tourist struck down with the bends on Maldives diving trip died after it took nine hours to get her to decompression chamber | Daily Mail Online

No technical specifics included in the article, but more details (including photos) than we usually see in these kinds of reports.

 

[wgw04024]

Is a live aboard considered a risk due to this sort of possible delay during an emergency. There could of certainly been a delay, but that seems a real possibility based on the type of trip a live aboard is. Yes?

 

[Saltyhawg]

The article says she arrived on April 1,2012. Is this a typo or did that mean she had been living in Maldives for almost three years?

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

The article says she arrived on April 1,2012. Is this a typo or did that mean she had been living in Maldives for almost three years?

All the photos show the same... So someone is bringing this backup? Family or someone is my guess as a reminder to this person...

 

[Maverick17]

I read it as the court case or "inquest" just happened, for a fatality that occurred 3 years ago.

 

[Adrian-]

I read it as the court case or "inquest" just happened, for a fatality that occurred 3 years ago.

Yes it is a report on the inquest verdict, there is another article here

 

[supergaijin]

The big delay here seemed to have been an insurance check- perhaps timezone made a difference. I'm surprised that many divers (who can afford to dive internationally) do not get internationally accepted DAN insurance at less than $200/year.

 

[TSandM]

I think this is one of the risks we all need to consider when diving in remote areas. I know that, when we did the Socorros this last spring, I was acutely aware that we were a very, very long way from ANY medical treatment, for DCS or anything else.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

Here is the text from the links in case anyone has trouble or if someone comes to the thread later after the text is gone from the links as happens sometimes

Melanie Stoddart died after doctors failed to see she had the bends | Daily Mail Online

(test from above link)Diver dies after doctors failed to see she had the bends: Parents' fury at Maldives blunder

• Melanie Stoddart, 38, died of decompression sickness on Maldives holiday
• Delay in her getting medical help as no transport to take her to hospital
• Then at hospital, medics did not even treat her for decompression sickness
• Her parents slammed 'sheer incompetence' of the authorities in Maldives
• Coroner recorded a narrative verdict and warned other holidaymakers

By Thomas Burrows for MailOnline

Read more: Melanie Stoddart died after doctors failed to see she had the bends | Daily Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

A British tourist struck down by 'the bends' on a scuba diving trip in the Maldives died after it took nine hours to get her to a decompression chamber.
An inquest heard Melanie Stoddart, 38, died of decompression sickness shortly after arriving in the Indian Ocean island for a 12-day holiday with her boyfriend.
There was a delay in Ms Stoddart receiving medical help because there was initially no boat or plane to take her to hospital.
And upon her arrival at hospital, medics did not even treat her for decompression sickness, the inquest into her death was told.
Her parents, Peter, 68, and Irene, 64, slammed the 'sheer incompetence' of the authorities in the Maldives and warned other tourists to 'take note' before booking a similar trip.
The inquest in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, heard how Ms Stoddart, an experienced diver from Prestwich in Greater Manchester, had arrived in the Maldives on April, 1, 2012 with her boyfriend Steve Greathead. She had been on the same holiday the previous year.
On the third day of her organised trip, she was in a party of 12 holidaymakers and two instructors who went to Vaavu Atoll for the last scuba dive of the day just after 3pm.
The inquest was told she returned to the surface after about 30 minutes and asked for medical help as she was feeling unwell.
Doctors were called and she was taken to the exclusive Alimatha Aquatic Resort nearby.
When it became clear her condition was deteriorating the resort's doctor said she needed to be taken to a decompression chamber, but there was no transport available.
A speed boat only arrived from neighbouring Bandos Island, more than 40 miles away, when insurance checks had been carried out.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ours-decompression-chamber.html#ixzz3VUDgtbD4
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...hour-delay-left-her-dying-from-the-bends.html

(text from above link)
Coroner's warning over adventure holidays after fatal delay treating Britsh scuba diver

The parents of Melanie Stoddart say nine-hour delay in getting her to a decompression chamber and lack of safety proceedures played a key part in her death


By Agency

12:29PM GMT 25 Mar 2015


A coroner has warned of the dangers of adventure holidays in remote places after a British woman died following a nine-hour delay in treating her for the "bends" during a diving holiday.

The parents of Melanie Stoddart slammed "the sheer incompetence" of the authorities in the Maldives after it emerged there were no emergency services on hand to save their daughter.

At her inquest, Derbyshire's Assistant Coroner Paul McCandless warned other Brits planning adventure holidays in remote destinations to make sure they know what emergency facilities are available before booking.

He said Miss Stoddart had booked a holiday with a "reputable company" and had the appropriate insurance, but the tragedy highlighted the differences between the emergency services in the UK and elsewhere in the world.

While he had no remit in the Maldives, he said he hoped other tourists "should take note of this issue before booking this sort of holiday".

Miss Stoddart, 38, had jetted out to the idyllic location in the Indian Ocean for a 12 day break with her boyfriend.
But within 48 hours of her arrival the chartered chemist collapsed moments after completing her third dive of the day.
Tragically there was no boat or plane available to take her hospital and as time ticked away she slowly began to lose consciousness.
A speed boat only arrived from a neighbouring island after insurance checks had been carried out and when it finally took her to hospital a doctor said her condition was not diving related.
Early the next morning, after being transferred to hospital, she passed away without ever being treated for decompression sickness.
Now a coroner has admitted had the woman who "enjoyed a fulsome life" been properly diagnosed and treated she might have survived.
The inquest in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, heard the Bachelor of Science had years of diving experience and had qualified to teach others to enjoy the sport she loved.
Miss Stoddart, of Prestwich, Greater Manchester, arrived in the Maldives on April 1, 2012 with her boyfriend Steve Greathead. She had been on the same holiday the previous year.
Two days later they were in a party of 12 holidaymakers and two instructors, who had completed two dives, before moving on to beautiful Vaavu Atol for the last dive of the day just after 3pm.
Thirty minutes later Miss Stoddart surfaced and at first seemed fine. Others said she was "smiling and laughing", but she soon began complaining of feeling unwell and was given oxygen.
Her boyfriend surfaced and saw her collapsed on the deck of the MV Sea Spirit, but she spoke to him. Doctors were called and she was taken to the exclusive Alimatha Aquatic Resort nearby.
When it became clear her condition was deteriorating the resort's doctor said she needed to be transferred to a decompression chamber, but there was no transport available.
Eventually after a frantic international call to Miss Stoddart's insurance company the travel firm's own speed boat was dispatched from Bandos Island, more than 40 miles away, where the couple were staying.
It was 8.20pm before she arrived there - more than four hours after she was first taken ill. A doctor sedated her, but said he could not be sure if it was related to her diving exploits.
He decided Miss Stoddart was not stable enough to be put in a chamber - her family say her condition was down to the previous delays in getting her treatment.
She was transferred for a second time by boat the six miles to the capital Male on the country's main island, where CT scans of her head and chest were taken at the ADK Hospital.
But at 2.15am the following morning Miss Stoddart went into cardiac arrest and half an hour later she was pronounced dead. Her body was flown home a week later without a post mortem being held.
Initially an autopsy proved inconclusive and it took specialist tests carried out on samples of brain tissue to detect microscopic damage caused by nitrogen bubbles being present in her blood stream.
The bends is a condition caused by from dissolved gases forming into bubbles inside the body on depressurisation.
Consultant Pathologist Dr Andrew Hitchcock told the court Melanie was very fit young woman. He said the delay in holding the post mortem had not helped in ascertaining the cause of death.
But he said taking into consideration the minute damage caused by the bubbles and a ruptured left ear drum everything "pointed to this lady having decompression syndrome".
Peter Stoddart , 68, of Holmeswood, Derbyshire, told the court his daughter was a qualified diving instructor and member of a club who had dived all over the world including Egypt.
"Nothing was too much for her, she never failed and was never fazed," he said.
He said the family had tried for many months to establish exactly what had happened in the hours before Miss Stoddart passed away.
They spotted "discrepancies" in the reports from police and the tour company Scuba Tours Worldwide which raised serious questions about the safety procedures in place in the fateful afternoon.
"It's my opinion there were no proper safety procedures in place on these islands," he said. "For a people and a country that relies on diving for its main income I would assume there would have been.
"The time lapse was nine hours and that is just not acceptable," he added. "If she had been in a chamber within an hour she would have been stable enough to deal with it."
Mr McCandless said it was "apparent" from the reports that there was a delay in Miss Stoddart obtaining treatment.
• Britons told to 'remain vigilant' in the Maldives
• Top 10: romantic Maldives hotels
In his narrative conclusion he told relatives: "Melanie was a practiced and experienced sea diver who took unwell on a dive. Due to a lack pf appropriate transport at that time of day there was a delay in taking her to an appropriate facility.
"Once there, there was a partial misdiagnosis that she was not suffering from compression sickness. She was deemed to be too unwell to go into the chamber and was transferred to hospital
"It is possible that if her condition had been diagnosed sooner that she would not have died when she did."
After the hearing Miss Stoddart's mother Irene, 64, said: "My daughter's death was down to sheer incompetence. She received no treatment for nine hours, how can that be right?"
So far no one has been available for comment at Bury St Edmonds based tour company Scuba Tours Worldwide.






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---------- Post added March 26th, 2015 at 09:44 PM ----------

The big delay here seemed to have been an insurance check- perhaps timezone made a difference. I'm surprised that many divers (who can afford to dive internationally) do not get internationally accepted DAN insurance at less than $200/year.

DAN AsiaPacific is excellent and time zones would be of minimal issue had they been contacted.. but we don't know for sure what Insurance or how they were contacted

Makes me think.. yes it is worth while talking to the Dive Operator to find out what their policy is and what processes they have in place for emergencies.

Unfortunately we can not count on the third world countries adhering to the standards we come to expect if we are fortunate enough to live in a first world country. That is where we need to take responsibility for ourselves and as TSandM says consider these things when we go on dive trips.