4,000 mile rescue - Chuuk Atoll

[DandyDon]

Either way, they do avoid elevation aggravating the problem by flying low, if I understand that correctly.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

Hawaii seems very odd unless perhaps there were other medical indications that Guam couldn’t handle.

They flew the diver to Guam, not Hawaii. The planes came from Hawaii, probably because that's where the CG had planes.

 

[bamafan]

Man 2 days to get to a chamber. That would definitely suck. I would have been begging for an O2 bottle and someone to kick me off the back of the boat.

 

[tracydr]

Interesting. DAN often pays for this evac, since the Chuuk chamber has been down for a while. I wonder if the victim didn't have DAN insurance (the expense to send a CG helo to Dry Tortugas cost the taxpayer over $80k, I can't imagine what it costs for this one), or DAN didn't want to fly a plane, or the rest of the back story. Whatever it was, the taxpayers sure took it in the shorts for this one, with no chance of recompense.

Maybe the diver is active duty military and using his Tricare insurance?

 

[DandyDon]

Man 2 days to get to a chamber. That would definitely suck. I would have been begging for an O2 bottle and someone to kick me off the back of the boat.

I bet he was on oxygen as much as possible. Certainly a risk to consider when diving in remote locations.

 

[muteki]

Wow.. I've dived in Chuuk, can't imagine how awful it must feel to have to leave the island to get treatment! Any more details about the cause, and his current condition?

 

[Akimbo]

Wow.. I've dived in Chuuk, can't imagine how awful it must feel to have to leave the island to get treatment! Any more details about the cause, and his current condition?

It's not the first time: Alert Diver | Bent in Chuuk

 

[Strongdiver]

Guam is no longer serviced by Care Jet. When a liveaboard diver from Florida got bent in Chuuk, DAN paid the $60,000 for his medevac to the chamber here at Naval Station. At midnight I arrived at the chamber with donuts for the Navy crew and a hug for the diver who gave up his charter to accompany his "client" (and friend) to Guam. I am working my Guam Sector Coast Guard sources for more details and will post asap.

BTW, my last trip to Chuuk was Feb. 2014 for the 70th anniversary of Operation Hailstone. The chamber is being moved from Neauo Village (just outside the fence of Truk Blue Lagoon Resort) to the Chuuk State Hospital in town to deliver hyperbaric wound care. The chamber is under new ownership as well, according to my chat with Larry Bruton, who arranged for the chamber to first arrive in Chuuk.

---------- Post added May 22nd, 2014 at 08:18 AM ----------

Better to leave bent than dead!

---------- Post added May 22nd, 2014 at 08:36 AM ----------

Hey, DandyDon!
As a frequent poster, maybe you can help me.
I just posted two comments for this thread and they have not appeared.
Can you assist me?
I am working my local Gum Coast Guard sources for an update on this DCI case.
DSAO,
Strongdiver

---------- Post added May 22nd, 2014 at 08:38 AM ----------

Hi, again!
I see my posts here...but do they appear on the entire thread?
Call be tek-challeged (except when diving)!

 

[DandyDon]

Guam is no longer serviced by Care Jet. When a liveaboard diver from Florida got bent in Chuuk, DAN paid the $60,000 for his medevac to the chamber here at Naval Station. At midnight I arrived at the chamber with donuts for the Navy crew and a hug for the diver who gave up his charter to accompany his "client" (and friend) to Guam. I am working my Guam Sector Coast Guard sources for more details and will post asap.

That was a different incident, right?

Hey, DandyDon!
As a frequent poster, maybe you can help me.
I just posted two comments for this thread and they have not appeared.
Can you assist me?
I am working my local Gum Coast Guard sources for an update on this DCI case.


---------- Post added May 22nd, 2014 at 08:38 AM ----------

Hi, again!
I see my posts here...but do they appear on the entire thread?
Call be tek-challeged (except when diving)!

I'm just a member here, but I'll try to help. When you post more than once to a thread the same day and before anyone else does, it combines posts as yours were. I edited your quoted posts for this post, but you can see them all in one post above - unless you're using a phone for a computer, then you're on your own.

 

[Johnoly]

If it was me, after 30 mins of O2 on deck and no improvement, I'd be IWR with my buddy and doing an Australian and hanging O2 bottles at depth.

Although highly controversial with hundreds of arguments on every side of the issue beat to death, every diver on a remote trip should read up so they can make their own individual choice to wait and take a paralysis/tissue damage chance. Flame away, but I'd be IWR that far from a chamber.