Diver dies at Molokai on Maui dive boat

[KevinNM]

You should be feeding O2 into the BVM that is used as part of CPR in this sort of situation. If they don't have both O2 in sufficient quantities and an appropriate sized BVM then the USCG should be interested.

The crew has a duty to rescue. It's part of their job.

A diver recall signal has been something that has been explained on most (if not all) dive trips I've been on. And I've been woken up by it on a liveaboard when they realized someone was showing signs of DCS.

 

[Altamira]

Is it common practice to put OC and CC divers on the same boat, especially when the dive site is long way from help? As a boat captain, I would not want to have to choose between trying to save an OC diver in distress and leaving or forcing a group of CC divers to bust their deco obligations. It seems like painting yourself in a corner with a lose/lose outcome if a diver in either group has a problem.

 

[oc in az]

When I dove with Lahina Divers they were very thorough on the safety briefing. They showed everyone where the O2 kit was kept. I was impressed with how professional the crew was. This was 8 years ago.

 

[dmaziuk]

It seems like painting yourself in a corner with a lose/lose outcome if a diver in either group has a problem.

If that actually happened, this would indeed be bad planning on the part of the boat/op. Even if there isn't a problem, one of the groups ends up waiting for the other, they can't be thrilled with that. (OK: yes, thrilled: doubt it.)

 

[arcticat99]

administering oxygen is a class up from first aid/cpr training but theyb should of been doing the 30 chest pumps to 2 breathes until revived or when taken over by medical personal

 

[JohnN]

If that scenario is true, other than the alleged claim that the captain himself / trained crew should have immediately done the CPR on the victim & having AED on board, what would be better actions to take if this happens again?

Without a pulse (no evidence available either way but common in a drowning), an AED will do nothing

 

[Steelyeyes]

I searched for any other report of the incident and could find none. I was on that same dive with Lahaina Divers last summer. We had one rebreather diver on board and I'm pretty sure he's a regular on that trip. I believe his name is Bob and he has a retail shop on Front Street in Lahaina.

We dropped Bob first and picked him up after the end of our second dive. I thought the crew was professional and the boat safety briefing, including where all safety equipment was, seemed adequate. I agree that an emergency recall for a diver doing decompression diving isn't going to work.

I'm about half way through my Rescue Diver course and I've been CPR certified for a couple of decades. It seems more than odd to put a non breathing patient in the recovery position since recovery isn't possible without pulse and respiration. A person in that situation has low odds of survival in the best situation and pretty much none with spotty treatment. It's a sad story no matter what.

 

[Steelyeyes]

Without a pulse (no evidence available either way but common in a drowning), an AED will do nothing

I have a friend that has 37 years of experience as an ER doc. One time he said something that stuck with me. It was, "CPR keeps the body viable until the electricity (in this case the AED) shows up." He also stated that the drugs they use in the ER to get the heart restarted are pretty useless. If the patient had any chance at all it would have been with the AED. CPR for the whole 17 mile trip to Lahaina appeared to be the only other, and pretty futile, option if they didn't get a pulse right away.

 

[KevinNM]

Really, really good CPR can keep people alive for a remarkably long period.

 

[JohnN]

I have a friend that has 37 years of experience as an ER doc. One time he said something that stuck with me. It was, "CPR keeps the body viable until the electricity (in this case the AED) shows up." He also stated that the drugs they use in the ER to get the heart restarted are pretty useless. If the patient had any chance at all it would have been with the AED. CPR for the whole 17 mile trip to Lahaina appeared to be the only other, and pretty futile, option if they didn't get a pulse right away.

You should check back with your friend. An AED (remember the "D" stands for defibrillator) detects the heart in fibrillation and applies a shock. No fibrillation (like a normal heartbeat, or no heartbeat) no shock.

If (and it is a big if) CPR could reestablish a pulse and the heart was in fibrillation, then an AED could be used.

FWIW, EMTs can carry a more advanced defibrillator that can be manually overridden to deliver a shock. You're not going to find one those hanging on a wall