A Development for Asthmatic Divers: Development of An underwater Inhaler

This reminds me of Palforzia. It’s a relatively new medication used to induce tolerance to peanuts for children with mild to moderately severe peanut allergies. It’s just under $900 a month ($11,000/year) for weekly dosing under a doctor’s supervision, and the effect only lasts as long as the treatment continues.
In reality, it is merely a very carefully measured dose of peanut flour costing literally pennies a capsule; what you are paying for is the measuring and literature and FDA approval, and then you’ll pay on top of that for administration under medical supervision for possible anaphylaxis, and then you’ll pay for the treatment of the anaphylaxis. Well, maybe your insurance will pay.
Of course, I’m the guy who used to service his own family’s ski bindings without formal training and is now responsible for the regulators, so don’t do as I do at all.

 

Sounds like an HME (Heat Moisture Exchanger) that can be placed on a tracheostomy (for the same purpose your friend used).

 

Maybe not keep on diving. Use the rescue as a last resort as you proceed to safely end the dive and get topside. A well-controlled asthmatic may still have a sudden onset attack diving or not, but if underwater and 10 minutes away from safely surfacing (or even 5), this may help abort the attack before the diver deteriorates further in-water. To use this as a rescue in order to continue the dive, I agree, is a bad idea. Aside from the risk of the attack worsening, the tachycardia resulting from the albuterol will significantly increase oxygen consumption. At depth, this can result in an OOA scenario quicker than anticipated.

 

Every once in a while a person who doesn't understand that something isn't going to work, somehow figures way to make it work.

Even if similar things failed many times before.

IJS

 

I like the idea of integrating it with a Spare Air that was mentioned upthread. One, this would allow the diver to still use a rental reg without having to attach extras or swap out parts. I know most people posting here have their own reg and wouldn't leave home without it, but a lot of casual vacation divers feel differently. Two, this might offer a practical solution to the liability cost issue. An established company that's already trying to sell its product to scuba divers, whose product could become more relevant with the addition of this new invention, might be just the thing you need to get this off the ground. They make a soda can-sized 1.5 cf model that fits in a pocket but probably wouldn't get a stressed OOA diver out of a kiddie pool--but it would deliver enough air to take a dose of asthma medicine, even at deeper recreational depths. And no, this should not be a thing that's used regularly. It should be like a pony bottle, a PLB/whistle/dye pack, or a backup light. You carry it on the off chance you might need it someday, because not having it could be catastrophic, not because you think it's likely that day will ever come. If you find yourself using it regularly (other than for practice), you need to step back and reevaluate.

 

That’s not true, and really hasn’t been true for a while. I was first certified in 1990. I had pretty severe asthma when I was younger. I checked the box on the medical form and had to have my Dr (Asthma specialist) sign off on the form. Fast forward many years, and my daughter is getting certified. Dr signs off on the form. This was, coincidentally, the same Specialist that signed my form back in 1990, so he’s had a lot of experience since then. He told me that the concern now depends on the cause of the asthma attacks. Exertion based sudden attacks were the concerns. In my case, and my daughters, the trigger was most often allergic. Exertion wasn’t a factor.

 

Therein is the difference... (this is not about medical insurance, but LIABILITY insurance)

1) The peanut allergy audience is HUGE.

2) such a drug would be a new (novel) solution to a medical malady

This equals money. Easy to pay for the liability insurance.

What the OP has is a modification/change of an existing delivery system. Then, mashing it with what is already classed as a high risk device: regulators.

Ski bindings have been mounted and adjusted by trained monkeys for years.

You bring up an interesting parallel. Many older bindings can not be touched by a ski tech lest their shop lose liability coverage due to manufacturers prohibiting them from touching older gear.

(I have 5 mono skis with ancient Solomon 757 Demo bindings. They still seem to be fine)

I appreciate a can-do attitude. Insurance companies really don’t shiv a git.

 

Dry air may be a trigger for some, however it isn't one of mine, and most water I dive removes me from the environment that contain my triggers so diving was even better for me before the treatment I use now which seems to have solved my problem.

If I needed a rescue inhaler underwater, I wouldn't be scuba diving.

 

A long way off this, i understand the liability risks and what ill have to overcome, just more work really.