peter k
Guest
Dr Thomas, The only pot in Scotland that is in a hospital is Aberdeens. The rest are Dunstaffnage, Millport, Orkney and somewhere else I can't quite remember. These are all in Marine laboratories for their diving at work regulations. They are run totally seperate from the NHS and actually charge the patients local healthboard for the treatment. In fact, they are a business. I'll lift the info that I was given and put it below.
Here you go;
Have just been reading a lot of your posts on various angles of chamber treatments, and find some conceptions ....hmmm...interesting. Though I'd post a brief run down of therapeutic chamber call out and use.
England and Scotland have similarities, and vast diferences, but basically:- In England the government is in the process of bringing in "care standards", this was written for the granny farms, but encompases all chambers used to treat NHS patients, and remember if you're not an NHS patient you get the bill ! All chambers have to be examined, annually, under this in order to accept patients. In Scotland we pre-empted this and have been NHS audited for more than 3 years. All approved chambers are also members of the British Hyperbaric Association, which has enabled the set up of the two 7/24 helplines. Now solely Scotland. The audit doesn't just look at the pot, but at your staff, training, hospital, links with SAR units, treatments etc.
The NHS authorised chambers, that are currently functioning in Scotland are at Aberdeen, Orkney, Shetland, Dunstaffnage (Oban), and Millport. We all link up as a unit, and match patients to chambers. (Big difference inbetween Sc & En is that work together, as a unit with satellites - south of the border they all act independantly). We have all agreed upon "best practice" with the NHS and are upgrading to that level (Aberdeen and Oban have achieved this, Millport will when the new chamber arrives next month and Orkney will be there later this year), at this point only the lack of intensive care medical staff will limit any chamber from any air treatment. (Whether
we want to do it or not is a different question !, to date Millport's longest treatment has been 47 hours - and I really would rather not go there again.
Call outs. Normally via the Coastguard - Ch16, GMDSS, or 999. The sooner you get to a chamber, the better. However many don't know/admit that they are bent for a period of time. In this case 999 coastguard will put you through, via the ops room tto one of the two helpline numbers. These are not solely for emegencies, feel free to use them for medical advice also. You may also call them directly yourself. In England the no. is 07831 151 523, this is directly to the duty doctor. In Scotland 01224 681 818, this gets you a
switchboard, ask for the duty hyperbaric doctor. They will then send you to the nearest A&E unit, and arrange for the nearest available chamber to stand up (with emphasis on available, only the CG know when chambers are busy/undergoing maintenance etc). Then all you've got to do is get repaired.
Please don't delay, we are not judgemental and early presentation makes life a lot simpler - but it's your body (and you've only got one), as I always say, it doesn't hurt me, I keep my fingers out of the way when I shut the door. It is always somewhat frustrating to get the history off the patient, and a totally different tale from the partner/PDC download.
PFO's, one in five of you have got it, usually it's a gee whizz phenomenon. Testing is available at all main cardiology units, but unles you're getting bent at 20m for 20mins with no yoyoing or rapid ascents etc. do you really want a syringe full of aerated saline injected into a vein ? (By the way Tom Shields retired some 10 years ago, last heard of drifting around somehere off Marseilles in his yacht - lucky swine). Sorry its a bit long, promise never to go on as much again.
And about computers; Thanks Peter, big one (or, as apparently I'm now titled "Hyperbaric Therapy Provider", dunno what's wrong with Chief Diver). Dive Computors, read the instructions, they all tell you not to rely on them totally for decompression information (and one tells you that
if you do you WILL suffer from DCI at some point)(Suunto Stinger). They're a very useful tool, but remember you're carbon based -they're silicon based and humanity hasn't evolved (although kit has) since the basic laws of physics and physiology were worked out (when tables were calculated by putting people in chambers and bending them!). They are specifically banned from use for sole decompression information in the Diving Operations at Work regulations 1997 (and no
aspect of the industry objected to this in the regulation writing period).
In 1989 two things happened of significance in the recreational diving world, and sports bends in Scotland statistically trebled that year. This has been maintained ever since - with the obvious steady upward trend accountable for by the increasing popularity of the sport. BUT we are all seeing a steady increase in the severity of the type of bend. Think that's covered most of the uncertain remarks over the last couple of days - probably not though.
Thanks to Phill from Millport pot for the above.
Peter
Here you go;
Have just been reading a lot of your posts on various angles of chamber treatments, and find some conceptions ....hmmm...interesting. Though I'd post a brief run down of therapeutic chamber call out and use.
England and Scotland have similarities, and vast diferences, but basically:- In England the government is in the process of bringing in "care standards", this was written for the granny farms, but encompases all chambers used to treat NHS patients, and remember if you're not an NHS patient you get the bill ! All chambers have to be examined, annually, under this in order to accept patients. In Scotland we pre-empted this and have been NHS audited for more than 3 years. All approved chambers are also members of the British Hyperbaric Association, which has enabled the set up of the two 7/24 helplines. Now solely Scotland. The audit doesn't just look at the pot, but at your staff, training, hospital, links with SAR units, treatments etc.
The NHS authorised chambers, that are currently functioning in Scotland are at Aberdeen, Orkney, Shetland, Dunstaffnage (Oban), and Millport. We all link up as a unit, and match patients to chambers. (Big difference inbetween Sc & En is that work together, as a unit with satellites - south of the border they all act independantly). We have all agreed upon "best practice" with the NHS and are upgrading to that level (Aberdeen and Oban have achieved this, Millport will when the new chamber arrives next month and Orkney will be there later this year), at this point only the lack of intensive care medical staff will limit any chamber from any air treatment. (Whether
we want to do it or not is a different question !, to date Millport's longest treatment has been 47 hours - and I really would rather not go there again.
Call outs. Normally via the Coastguard - Ch16, GMDSS, or 999. The sooner you get to a chamber, the better. However many don't know/admit that they are bent for a period of time. In this case 999 coastguard will put you through, via the ops room tto one of the two helpline numbers. These are not solely for emegencies, feel free to use them for medical advice also. You may also call them directly yourself. In England the no. is 07831 151 523, this is directly to the duty doctor. In Scotland 01224 681 818, this gets you a
switchboard, ask for the duty hyperbaric doctor. They will then send you to the nearest A&E unit, and arrange for the nearest available chamber to stand up (with emphasis on available, only the CG know when chambers are busy/undergoing maintenance etc). Then all you've got to do is get repaired.
Please don't delay, we are not judgemental and early presentation makes life a lot simpler - but it's your body (and you've only got one), as I always say, it doesn't hurt me, I keep my fingers out of the way when I shut the door. It is always somewhat frustrating to get the history off the patient, and a totally different tale from the partner/PDC download.
PFO's, one in five of you have got it, usually it's a gee whizz phenomenon. Testing is available at all main cardiology units, but unles you're getting bent at 20m for 20mins with no yoyoing or rapid ascents etc. do you really want a syringe full of aerated saline injected into a vein ? (By the way Tom Shields retired some 10 years ago, last heard of drifting around somehere off Marseilles in his yacht - lucky swine). Sorry its a bit long, promise never to go on as much again.
And about computers; Thanks Peter, big one (or, as apparently I'm now titled "Hyperbaric Therapy Provider", dunno what's wrong with Chief Diver). Dive Computors, read the instructions, they all tell you not to rely on them totally for decompression information (and one tells you that
if you do you WILL suffer from DCI at some point)(Suunto Stinger). They're a very useful tool, but remember you're carbon based -they're silicon based and humanity hasn't evolved (although kit has) since the basic laws of physics and physiology were worked out (when tables were calculated by putting people in chambers and bending them!). They are specifically banned from use for sole decompression information in the Diving Operations at Work regulations 1997 (and no
aspect of the industry objected to this in the regulation writing period).
In 1989 two things happened of significance in the recreational diving world, and sports bends in Scotland statistically trebled that year. This has been maintained ever since - with the obvious steady upward trend accountable for by the increasing popularity of the sport. BUT we are all seeing a steady increase in the severity of the type of bend. Think that's covered most of the uncertain remarks over the last couple of days - probably not though.
Thanks to Phill from Millport pot for the above.
Peter
