Chamber operation book recommendations?

[Harley1962]

Hello to all experienced chamber operators!

I will soon be dispatched to work in a remote location where they happen to have an on-site chamber. Is there a recommended "manual" for the newbie chamber operator?

As an Instructor, I have seen chambers before, but never operated one. I understand each model / brand will have specific instructions for it's respective operational procedures, but is there a concise, well-written "general text" for somebody new to operating a chamber?

I would appreciate a title and / or author, and if possible--whether the book is widely available in the USA (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc...)

Thanks in advance!

HB

 

[Wookie]

Newbie chamber operators get to spend 2 years training as an EMT-B, then a year at hyperbaric training. Commercial dive school will get you there a little faster, but commercial chamber techs can't do emergency chamber treatments.

I applaud your enthusiasm, but if you don't know the first thing about chamber operations, you likely weren't hired to operate one. Let the doc and the chamber techs already hired to do so show you a few things, then get ready for a few years of schooling. If they did hire you to operate it, please let me know which one or where it is. I don't want to dive anywhere where there aren't competent, qualified, certified chamber operators running the chamber. Yes, I have seen a tech put a bent diver in a chamber without physicians input. The victim walked into the chamber, but hasn't walked a single step in the 20 years since. A hyperbaric chamber is nothing to play with.

 

[Dr Deco]

Hello Harley1962 :

Chamber operation is not a simple activity. Things can go wrong – and they have. People have died. Wookie is spot on. It is really more than valve turning and “Righty, tighty, lefty, loosy.” There is a great deal of physiology and medicine behind it.

As the expression goes, “Anyone can hold the tiller in a calm sea.”

Dr Deco :doctor:

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Harley1962,

The mechanics of operating a chamber are not all that difficult to learn. I'm making an assumption here, but from your post it sounds like the chamber is already staffed and you just want to bring yourself up to speed a little. Linked below is the manual we used for the students at the College of Oceaneering when it was still called the College of Oceaneering. It's long in the tooth but the info on chamber operation is still good. (note: Duke isn't associated with COO; this writer is a former instructor)

Amazon.com: Commercial Diver Training Manual (9780941332101): College Of Oceaneering: Books

IMHO, there's nothing wrong with you learning to operate the chamber under direct, qualified supervision, especially if the facility has a formal operator training pipeline. Start with the chamber empty and work your way up. That's how chamber operators get trained. We did it with students at COO all the time; it was part of the ACDE-mandated commercial diver education curriculum, and we never had an accident. The chamber at Duke is considerably more complex than a commercial diving chamber, and we have our own in-house training program that turns out highly competent operators.

Of course, at both COO (now National University Polytechnic Institute) and Duke, there are plenty of qualified people to train operators and direct hyperbaric treatments. As Wookie and Doc Deco poignantly stated, not all chamber facilities are equal, especially in the more remote areas of the world. A good one has well-trained operators and competent, qualified medical staff. If you feel uncomfortable, or if it seems like the facility is poorly maintained and/or the staff aren't qualified, steer clear of the place. Also, if my first assumption is wrong and you're supposed to be the only operator, forget everything you just read and turn down the job. You don't want to put yourself in that situation.

Best regards,
DDM