How to rescue a non-breathing diver?

[DareDevil]

Hi All,

I am asking the question because it seems difficult to get a definitive answer, and from time to time I can see on newspapers (I live in Europe) descriptions of accidents with a similar situation.

Basically I am talking about what should be done when your buddy (or another nearby diver) is experiencing severe problems (e.g. cardiac issues) and has lost consciousness: in other words, he/she is not breathing; I understand that the situation would be already critical on the ground.

My view on "what to do" is the following, please give me your opinion:

1. Underwater, there is almost nothing I can do to help him/her: even if I have been trained to practice mouth-to-mouth respiration and hearth massage, there is no way I can do underwater, while at the same time I have to breathe, ascent carrying the unconscious diver and monitor the ascent speed (I am assuming no-deco dive profile). Therefore, we have to reach the surface ASAP first.

2. The diver is not breathing, meaning that the hearth will stop soon (or it is already stopped) so all the risks related to not respecting the proper ascent speed are marginal: I unlock the weight belt, inflate the BC and shoot the diver to the surface; at least there it will be possible to help him/her (vent the lungs at the very least) and perhaps someone is there (another diver, the boat, ...)

3. Now, the big problem: what should *I* do? If I shoot to the surface, I will put myself in danger, but if I ascent following the rules (even if I ignore the 3 minutes/3 meters safety stop) it may take some minutes before I will be able to do something.

I find extremely difficult to take a decision. According to my limited first aid notions, practice hearth massage is the key to have some chance of surviving since it will allow a certain amount of blood to reach the brain, therefore preventing the brain cells from dying. But it is very difficult to do that in the water unless there are no waves... Only on a boat (or on any flat & hard surface) it would have some effectiveness.

I am inclined to think I would ascent to the surface exceeding the "safe" speed, making no safety stop, but NOT shooting to the surface. Is that wrong? Should I risk more?

Thanks for any answer,

DareDevil

 

[ShakaZulu]

Get rescue certified............too difficult to explain here.

 

[marcurts]

I had the same questions when I took my OW, so The best advice that I would give is take the rescue training, I did and it answered all my questions and more.

Mark

 

[derwoodwithasherwood]

Here's my 2¢:

Is there anyone on the surface that can tend to the diver once he's up there, or are you alone with him? Is there any first aid equipment such as a back board and BVM up there? Are you shore diving or boat diving? Is there a second boat that you can board if one takes off for shore with the casualty? Are you at or near a deco limit? Are you diving with a computer? Etc.

All of the above are considerations that may influence what you can and cannot do for your buddy. One thing to bear in mind is that if he has no vital signs, then you can do him no harm. He is as good as dead. So you have to triage: first save the one(s) that are most likely to survive. If and only if they are out of danger do you then move on to the near-hopeless cases. In this situation, this means your life comes first. Now, if you have a reasonable chance of saving your buddy at the cost of not diving again for a while, or perhaps at the cost of a ride in a chamber, then perhaps it's worth the attempt.

For example, assume there were 2 boats with first aid equipment and trained staff aboard at least one, within a 1/2 hour ride to a hospital. Then you might take him up quickly (eg: 60'/min, no safety stop) (remember, you do have 6 to 12 minutes before irreversable brain damage occurs) and call for help. As soon as others have come to his aid you might tell them you are returning to 15' for a long safety stop and will reboard the other boat.

On the other hand, if you are 1/4 mile out from a rocky shore below the cliff where your car is parked with a deco obligation and no-one else is around, then it is unlikely that you will be able to save him yourself, and you risk serious personal injury or death to yourself in the attempt.

There is no easy answer. The only hard and fast rule that you should follow is:

Before
Everything

Stop
And
First
Evaluate

 

[mania]

Rescue course will give you some answers but not all. Although the basic rule of any rescuerer is - never ever put your life in danger - that's difficult to hold to if for example you have to rescue somebody who's close to you.
Quick answers and not very exact (answering your question in details would be in fact the whole rescue course) - uw you don't do any cpr - just hold the diver and take him to the surface, keeping his airways not closed and his regulator in his mouth.
On the surface you can start mouth to mouth breathing and the full CPR either on the shore or boat.
Honestly chances to rescue somebody in this case are not high but always we have to do our best.
Mania

 

[DareDevil]

Get rescue certified............too difficult to explain here.

To be honest, I have to say I am more than a little bit unimpressed by the skills you may have learnt by doing Rescue Diving, since you find it too difficult to explain those notions to anyone else in plain English.

Are you *really* saying that if I am not rescue certified there is nothing I can do unless let him/her die peacefully ?

DareDevil

 

[Squalus]

To be honest, I have to say I am more than a little bit unimpressed by the skills you may have learnt by doing Rescue Diving, since you find it too difficult to explain those notions to anyone else in plain English.

Are you *really* saying that if I am not rescue certified there is nothing I can do unless let him/her die peacefully ?

DareDevil

You asked the question, the response was appropriate answer. It's a matter of putting one's credentials on the line here by offering information. Basically, if I were to tell you what to do and you did it and a fatality occured then I would be held liable (not good). So, therefore you need to take a rescue course or stress and rescue course to find your answers.

 

[voop]

I guess that what ShakaZulu is saying is, that the "right thing to do" is not something which can be learned from reading an Internet board, but something that should be learned and praticed, in part, in-water. Rescue training is the right way to go about this.

In general, the other posters have explained it well: the fundamental rule being not to endanger yourself, and act according to the situation (surface-support or not, deco-obligation or not, chamber-access or not etc) and training (polaris'ing to the surface if you're alone and unable to perform rescue-breathing or get him in professionel medical treatment equals just putting yourself at risk with no benefit to the buddy whatsoever).

All that stuff is what we teach in rescue-diver / stress-and-rescue courses. Hence, the reccomendation to get rescue trained.

 

[voop]

<SNIP>

Are you *really* saying that if I am not rescue certified there is nothing I can do unless let him/her die peacefully ?

DareDevil

What I'd rather be saying is, that all divers should get rescue trained as early as possible, and should (through Rescue Reviews) keep their training up-to-date.

 

[DareDevil]

You asked the question, the response was appropriate answer. It's a matter of putting one's credentials on the line here by offering information. Basically, if I were to tell you what to do and you did it and a fatality occured then I would be held liable (not good). So, therefore you need to take a rescue course or stress and rescue course to find your answers.

Okay... It seems to me a very long shot to file a lawsuit because someone did what the anonymous "Joe Doe" said over Internet but I understand the fear to be held liable.

Thanks,

DareDevil