So, who carries a pocket mask?

[redseal]

As a practicing physician I realize the difference between "oughta" and "shoulda" versus "need to do." In a hospital, where all of the federal, state and local regulators demand barrier precautions to protect both patients and staff we all try to follow the letter of the law. In real life, outside the hospital, functioning as normal Good Samaritans, we do what we need to do.

Even though I SWORE that I'd never do mouth-to-mouth on a stranger, when confronted with a passenger on a boat years ago who suffered a heart attack I started CPR with the appropriate MTM respirations. I agree with the thought that if you're willing to share your regulator with your buddy (or any diver in need), you damned well better be willing to lock lips to try and save their life as well. If you're unwilling to do the one, then you're really not a buddy team, you're just two scuba divers in the same body of water at the same time.

Just my three cents worth!

 

[Hallmac]

But I'm back now and here we go.

Most of the areas I have dove we were within a couple minutes swim of the boat or the beach at best. Usually cold water and gloves are worn most of the time. Once a non breather is on the surface a single breath is administered and the victim swam in.

Usually able to get the victim on shore/boat within minute or two and start rescue efforts. Reason for the single breath is to limit the contact and to insure there is a little air in the lungs. If the lungs are full of water you will have a really hard time asporating them floating on the surface. any breathing you administer is waisted. If not then the air given in a single breath is going to be your highest quality and lowest Co2 you are going to give them. This will sustain them for the few minutes it take to swim them in. As you swim you work harder and trying to do rescue breathing while towing slows you down and increases the labor on your body thus increasing the Co2 output and lowering the o2 content.
Granted we don't use even half of the o2 we breath in and there should be plenty for the victim. But let me get back on track. When recording the time it took to tow a body in you will find that it takes 2 to three times as many minutes if administering rescue breaths while doing it.
No big deal if they resume breathing you can take your time in if they don't. According to the life guard reports used in this program ( which I have no personal conformation ) if the victim did not begin to gasp after the first breath series they did not begin until back on shore and being asporated. All the in water breathing did not make the difference. Which means the best chance for recovery with the least amount of cell loss is get them in and asporated so breathing can resume.
If the victim has no pulse than there is no transporting the O2 and rescue breathing is worthless. in cold water with gloves on you can't feel a pulse anyway I dive with dry gloves and they can't be removed fast enough so I would be limited here anyway. Since in water CPR is a waist of time you must get them in as fast as you can.
Through out the hole program the message was get them in as fast as you can. The human body as we know will survive short periods without breathing and in cold water drowning the revival times are approaching 2 hours. So it becomes easier to just scoop and go. The outcome becomes the same a survival.
I keep geting timed out so I'll do this in a mini series.
Hallmac

 

[Hallmac]

Apparently during drowings even a small intake of water in to the lungs makes rescue breaths ineffective. So if they drown get them in and asporate so they can be revived.

I have made two rescues one the traditional way and one using the scoop and go. Both were successful and the second was easier on me. Both were swimmers and not divers so the time under water was limited to under two minutes at most and we were within 50 yards of shore.

Hallmac

 

[Hallmac]

I do feel it is important that I tell you I am not certified to teach this method. and when I teach the SSI Stress and Rescue course I teach the inwater rescue breathing methods. I Also try to inform my students of the information I received during this class. It is up to them to chose and be responsible of how they preform the rescue in real life.

Hopefully this will open up the discussion a little and refresh my memory to the source of this information.

Hallmac

 

[ericfine50]

I usally bring one. If I am on a charter boat, I may not. I have not had to use it - thankfuly
Eric

 

[Jester]

The point is that quite a few of us believe that keeping the pocket mask with the equipment (on shore) is good enough, because it's too inconvenient, or too troublesome to carry during the dive. However, if I'm the one being rescued, I'd like to think that the rescuER has one with them, so he/she doesn't have to wait to begin artificial respiration.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Wether or not I carry one during the dive depends on the dive. When I'm teaching I carry it because I don't want to administer rescue breaths to a stranger without protection. When diving with my wife I don't have the same concerns.

The pocket mask also provides a convenient means of protecting the airway in rough seas.

If you think it's too time consuming to deploy th mask, practice.

If you haven't taken a rescue class do it before you go diving again.

With the acception of new divers who haven't had time to take a rescue class, I won't dive with someone who doesn't care enough about me to take one.

Many divers never take a rescue class. IMO, divers should be given a certain amount of time to get it done and then their cert should be voided.

 

[Big-t-2538]

We carry one with the First aid kit we go to on every dive. When I was first taught how to do CPR/First Aid..it was mouth to mouth. When time comes, I'm prepared to carry out that skill, when we get back to the shore, I'll get the pocket mask and continue.

 

[Scubamedicjoe]

I have a pocket mask in my bag also have small oxygen tank and ambu bag wit of course few oral and nasal airways and few others items , advantage of being a paramedic hehe , personally I would like to see all divers carry at least a ( pocket face mask with of course the one way valve )
I would also like to see more training on same in the basic open water class .

 

[DameDykker]

Here in Denmark (and I believe in most of Europe) we're not tought to use a pocket mask. Most think it's a bit paranoide to wip out a pocket mask when trying to save someone. But also we don't have the habit of suing the rescuer afterwards!

The other main argument is that divers as a general rule are a healty people, otherwise thay wouldn't be diving This bring the inherrent risk of catching something very small ideed. This is of course very different when you're talking about patients in a hospital.

Just my two øre (local currency )