Active hyperbaric chambers treating divers and staffing - travel divers need better information.

[Wallowa]

I wonder if you guys have really even tried to get the information you seek. For example, UHMS publishes 10 pages of names, addresses, and phone numbers of UHMS ACCREDITED HYPERBARIC MEDICINE FACILITIES.

Roatan is easy - Anthony's Key. One of the busiest recompression chambers in the world, so pretty much always up and running.

Anthony's Key Resort | Roatan’s Premier Dive & Adventure Resort

Plan your Roatan escape with Anthony’s Key Resort — waterfront bungalows, thrilling marine adventures, and unforgettable Caribbean vacations.

anthonyskey.com

Looks great!

See the chamber website on Catalina....they treat a lot of divers and have for decades, but I will bet Roatan chamber sees more divers....chamber at Key looks larger than a 2ATA wound treatment chamber but no information I could find on website if it is a 6ATA chamber and a multi-lock chamber....I will assume it is, but that should be verified.

 

[tursiops]

That's useful, thank you. I just printed GA/FL and added to my "divetrip med" folder.

Any suggestions for similar listings for Roatan, Bonaire and/or Cozumel?

Bonaire is also easy. Just one chamber, always open. Run by a professional.

Recompression Chamber Bonaire

Bonaire hyperbaric Center

o2bonaire.com

 

[Wallowa]

Bonaire is also easy. Just one chamber, always open. Run by a professional.

Recompression Chamber Bonaire

Bonaire hyperbaric Center

o2bonaire.com

More good info thanks...only wish I was diving there!

Turisops if you can find where the diver treatment chambers are on the west coast [any of the western states, excluding Hawaii] I would appreciate it....no luck so far on my end...

 

[tursiops]

Turisops if you can find where the diver treatment chambers are on the west coast [any of the western states, excluding Hawaii] I would appreciate it....no luck so far on my end...

There are nine listed in CA/OR/WA in the UHMS list linked earlier. Do you need more?

 

[sea_ledford]

More good info thanks...only wish I was diving there!

Turisops if you can find where the diver treatment chambers are on the west coast [any of the western states, excluding Hawaii] I would appreciate it....no luck so far on my end...

I have had best results with calling DAN for that info. If you ask for a list of chambers that are capable of treating divers in a region, AND specify that this if for a risk matrix, not a treatment request, you may get the information. You'll probably have even better luck if you mention that you are aware that the chambers on the list may not be operational at any given time, and that you'll call back in the event of an actual emergency to coordinate appropriate care locations.

The list you are looking for might only contain the one you are already aware of in Catalina, although I would be surprised if there wasn't one in the Bay Area.

 

[Wallowa]

There are nine listed in CA/OR/WA in the UHMS list linked earlier. Do you need more?

I know you take umbrage with my views, fair enough...but you know type of chamber I am looking for to include in my emergency plan.

You are a sharp guy, so wound chambers and mono-place chambers are not it...conspicuously the USC Catalina chamber was not in the California listing....

Guess I was unclear....which of those 9 listed treat civilian divers in a 6ATA multi-lock chamber?

Why "civilian' because military chambers most often will not treat civilians.

Why 6ATA, previously painfully explained, have a serious AGE or even DCS and you need a 6ATA treatment table.

Why mulit-lock? Cuz if you have a medical emergency independent of DCI, cardic or instance, in mono-place chamber you have two choices, make the DCI worse by suddenly dropping chamber pressure or try to survive the medical emergency inside the mono-lock.

 

[tursiops]

I know you take umbrage with my views, fair enough...but you know type of chamber I am looking for to include in my emergency plan.

You are a sharp guy, so wound chambers and mono-place chambers are not it...conspicuously the USC Catalina chamber was not in the California listing....

Guess I was unclear....which of those 9 listed treat civilian divers in a 6ATA multi-lock chamber?

Why "civilian' because military chambers most often will not treat civilians.

Why 6ATA, previously painfully explained, have a serious AGE or even DCS and you need a 6ATA treatment table.

Why mulit-lock? Cuz if you have a medical emergency independent of DCI, cardic or instance, in mono-place chamber you have two choices, make the DCI worse by suddenly dropping chamber pressure or try to survive the medical emergency inside the mono-lock.

You said no info was available. Now you have ten pages of info, plus some more chambers provided to you.
I suggest since you have quite specific needs that you do your own research and make your own list, instead of complaining that other ;people are not doing your work for you.
Sea Ledford made a great suggestions in post #25. Now it is your turn.

 

[Wallowa]

I have had best results with calling DAN for that info. If you ask for a list of chambers that are capable of treating divers in a region, AND specify that this if for a risk matrix, not a treatment request, you may get the information. You'll probably have even better luck if you mention that you are aware that the chambers on the list may not be operational at any given time, and that you'll call back in the event of an actual emergency to coordinate appropriate care locations.

The list you are looking for might only contain the one you are already aware of in Catalina, although I would be surprised if there wasn't one in the Bay Area.

Been there done that DAN referred me UHMS for a listing.....and in days of old we had two solid chambers, Pacific Grove CA and Catalina CA.....sometimes Virginia Mason in Seattle ....Pacific Grove shut down years ago and Virgina

You said no info was available. Now you have ten pages of info, plus some more chambers provided to you.
I suggest since you have quite specific needs that you do your own research and make your own list, instead of complaining that other ;people are not doing your work for you.
Sea Ledford made a great suggestions in post #25. Now it is your turn.

Will not listen I guess.....I am not asking for anyone to do what I can do....just asking if anyone has the location and contact information for 6ATA, multi-lock diver treatment chambers....10 pages of non-sequitur information that does not answer what I was asking...these are wound chambers not diver treatment chambers for serious DCI. I never said NO information was available only that the needed information to correctly treat divers was not available.

I am asking you...Do you know where there are 6ATA chambers?

This is not solely for my benefit, but any diver that needs a 6ATA treatment table....you get that right? Not some selfish need, but all divers should want that information. Complaint of joint pain is one matter but permanent paralysis without correct treatment is a whole different matter.

Somehow my response to Ledford was sent before I completed it...as he stated DAN "may' give that information; I have called them and emailed them asking for chamber information...they said they did not have and could not compile such a listing and then referred me to UHMS and their wound chamber listing...

Virginia Mason use to be our go to chamber in Washington, now they have an enormous three lock 2-3 ATA chamber....can you guess why? Follow the money, wound and other health related hyperbaric treatment are not very popular and lucrative. Divers contribute almost nothing to corporate income and 6ATA chambers are expensive at many levels....that does not negate the critical issue when divers might need using a 6ATA table to avoid death or permanent disability.

USC Catalina is the only 6ATA chamber on the West Coast that I know of. I have stayed at Wrigley with AAUS and know Karl who runs the chamber; outstanding facility and staff. Wrigley Marine Science Center (WMSC) - Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability

 

[iain/hsm]

My initial treatments were limited to a 3 ATA / 2.07 bar Perry Sigma 40 mono but my treatment should have been modified to 165 FSW initially if it was available. My outcome may have been better with a deep mod. Also , I think treatment of severe type 2 DCS if preferably treated with the option of a chamber attendant multi

I should make a comment on this specifically to the USN table 4 and 6 but before that I have worked with DAN on a number of hyperbaric chamber installations projects, chamber designs installations, fabrications and certification projects over the years. The senior vice President for safety for DAN is I think someone who can help you. I can give you his name and email contact if you like on private email within this forum if it helps. He should be able to help you better privately than we can with an open discussion on an open forum.

DAN safety signs off of each installation before "adopting" the chamber for DAN diver insurance treatments and my experience with them for each installation has been excellent and although each job has been very different ranging from for example a medical hospital multi place 12 man hyperbaric chamber for the DDRC Plymouth UK a 250MSW saturation system to the more diver oriented 100msw 4 man divers chamber within Larnica Hospital Cyprus to those typical 4 man 50 MSW small divers (deck decompression chambers) in Jamaica and Trinidad.
Further 120MSW Deck decompression chambers for the deep water HMS Dasher expedition and the HMS Exmouth. All the way down to on site on deck treatments. Then the inexpensive (small car cost) Portable or Transportable 55MSW rated two man chambers on site on deck or below deck for private vessel applications all the way back up to the private Yacht market. DAN have been excellent in my estimation however I deal purely with the engineering aspects and mechanical requirements

While I'm certainly not trying to sell you your own chamber but as a diver one interesting aspect of your required but unavailable 165 FSW treatment has been an increasing alternative treatment option of using a 50/50 heliox mix on the BIBS the COMEX 30 Table (modified with a negative bias tracking regulator for it to work at depth ) at a more manageable 30MSW depth and with a TTUP of around 7 hours it has proven to be most effective solution for these serous deterioration situations even after commencing a Table 6 provided you have a suitable rated pressure vessel and Heliox. The tender is on air and both go on oxygen at the shallow treatment depth during accent together with the standard 5 minute air breaks for tea and biscuits. It uses around a single 50L cylinder of 50/50 so 3 cylinders to cover. Now compare that 7 hour spell by contrast to the US Navy Table 4 a mind numbing experience of spending the next 36 hours in a chamber and running out of tea bags and a pot to pee in half way through. Take the glory any day over the pain.

 

[34109411]

In 2023 I experienced type II DCS which resulted in permanent neurologic deficits. DAN specialist on the phone assured me and the staff on the dive boat that there was a currently staffed chamber in Nassau. I was admitted to a hospital in Nassau, it took about 6 hours after admission to get transferred to a chamber. I was told this delay was due to staffing issues. I consider myself lucky because I have seen numerous reports of the "Chamber Shell Game" in Nassau. How many chambers? depending on where you look, somewhere between one and three. 24/7 hot line sure, but you might wait 4 or more hours to finally get someone to answer the phone. It seems to me it would be of great benefit to traveling SCUBA divers to have a RELIABLE resource to find operating hyperbaric chambers offering DCS treatment in different locations, as well as if they have staffing problems that are likely to delay treatment. This information is elusive for many locations, even if you are a long time DAN member.

Problem is most diving destination outside the US will not have anyone to run a chamber full time.