Dr. Lecter
Contributor
This diver Joe, is a total idiot.
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This diver Joe, is a total idiot.
The author of this article obviously wanted to fluff his feathers and strut his macho ego since he survived his fiasco. He also harks back to a primitive type of diver that have mostly have killed themselves off. Question one is what was he doing at 400 feet? Government ops to that extreme depth would require a chamber onsite. What were the protocols for emergencies established prior to this operation? Hiding with signs and symptoms because of ego is stupid and follows the pattern of irresponsibility prescribed by the author. He delayed his own treatment for 45 minutes while his condition deteriorated. Then, he jumps in like Tarzan and has to be saved from his own stupidity.
To prescribe in water recompression is ludicrous, dangerous and insane. Get to a chamber as quickly as possible. Never go back in the water and risk complications, like convulsions, blackout or pulmonary embolism. Administering pure oxygen is the immediate treatment during transport. It should be available onsite or onboard every diving operation. Most victims exhibit an improved condition and many signs and symptoms are even eliminated upon arrival at a treatment facility.
As stated by a few others here, in water recompression saves lives. And if i was an hour from a chamber, heck yes i'd be there....I work in remote locations where a chamber is non-existent and all of our team KNOW in water recompression .
At the speed with which the symptoms were progressing, I believe I would not have made it. Not with the 10 minute ambulance ride to the chamber, or the almost assuredly 45 minute wait while doctors poured over my trying to figure out what was wrong.
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I had the fleeting thought to go to the diving medical physician at Mobile Diving Salvage Unit where I was stationed, but was too embarrassed and did not want to face the ridicule or have to explain to the Navy what I was doing at 400 FSW on a weekend while on Liberty.
It is nice to realize that now that some people are recognizing that there is not a one-size-fits-all best answer, we might proceed to developing training guidelines for IWD.
…So I think we are debating this for a very small piece of the dive community...
The practice of in water recompression is not only dangerous and life-threatening, it harks back to a primitive time before recompression chambers were readily available wherever safe diving is supported.
To prescribe it as a treatment for hyperbaric incidents is not only irresponsible but demonstrates a preponderance of ignorance of proper procedures.
Accepted by who? DAN and IANTD seem to disagree with you.In water recompression is not an accepted procedure and never a protocol for treatment of a hyperbaric trauma.
Diving?Question one is what was he doing at 400 feet?
Heaven forbid we expect that mere civilians can do things better and more efficiently/effectively than "Government ops". When you sweep dirt and sticks away from your driveway, do you hire two people to stand 100 feet on either end of your driveway holding "SLOW/STOP" signs too?Government ops to that extreme depth would require a chamber onsite.
Per your logic: dead if necessary?To prescribe in water recompression is ludicrous, dangerous and insane. Get to a chamber as quickly as possible.
So I think we are debating this for a very small piece of the dive community. Sort of like problems outer space where self-reliance is assumed, compared to ordinary Earth problems.
It must be ingrained in divers to recognize and report DCI symptoms as early as possible. Unless you are dealing with extreme exposures and incomplete decompression, symptoms will usually not present while the diver is still underwater. But upon surfacing the clock is running.