Diver Hospitalized - Key Largo Florida

[SeaCobra]

Sounds a lot like scuba diver's pulmonary edema, hard to breath thinking out of air. I am glad this had a good outcome.

I knew someone would go there There are a number of possibilities here from allergies, COPD or even the valve not being open all the way. Based on the limited info of the first aid and treatment I think IPE is unlikely.

 

[diver 85]

I knew someone would go there There are a number of possibilities here from allergies, COPD or even the valve not being open all the way. Based on the limited info of the first aid and treatment I think IPE is unlikely.

It's called Internet Medicine------100% accurate dx for EVERY symptom.....

 

[boulderjohn]

Very true....we were taught to ALWAYS 'kill'(stop) your stop watch(ie BT over) and 'dump ' BC air before making your(final) ascent----ALWAYS.....My lil acronym(hey--an acronym before acronyms were cool ) was AT--A for air T for time, worked EVERY time even under Heat-of-battle/bun-sweating times---& I still use it today ie I carry & USE a stopwatch on every dive....Bet they're not taught to 'kill' the watch 'these days'....

Stopping the bottom time at the moment of ascent is only necessary when using tables to measure dive times (etc.). It is unnecessary when using a computer.

Dumping air from the BCD prior to ascent works with a properly weighted diver with a thin wet suit. It is absolutely NOT a good idea if you are wearing 7mm or more. With that much neoprene, a diver has no choice but to add a fair amount of air to the BCD in order to compensate for suit compression at depth, and dumping all air at the beginning of an ascent can result in an immediate and rapid descent. Most instructors therefor teach students to dump air a little at a time on ascent, letting out just enough each time to remain a little negatively buoyant so that the ascent can be controlled by swimming rather than BCD expansion.

 

[diver 85]

Stopping the bottom time at the moment of ascent is only necessary when using tables to measure dive times (etc.). It is unnecessary when using a computer.

Dumping air from the BCD prior to ascent works with a properly weighted diver with a thin wet suit. It is absolutely NOT a good idea if you are wearing 7mm or more. With that much neoprene, a diver has no choice but to add a fair amount of air to the BCD in order to compensate for suit compression at depth, and dumping all air at the beginning of an ascent can result in an immediate and rapid descent. Most instructors therefor teach students to dump air a little at a time on ascent, letting out just enough each time to remain a little negatively buoyant so that the ascent can be controlled by swimming rather than BCD expansion.

Agree---------didn't want to type that much,......I've got places to go & people to see............thanks for the more accurate info.........As I've stated before, this place will not/can not answer all questions or take care of all problems you have better than your instructor/mentor.....ALWAYS consult him/her before rattling off stupid things here 1st....(another) ......

EDIT(found 25 more free seconds)-see your local yocal 1st...then ask questions here

 

[clownfishsydney]

I knew someone would go there There are a number of possibilities here from allergies, COPD or even the valve not being open all the way. Based on the limited info of the first aid and treatment I think IPE is unlikely.

As I have seen two close friends suffer from SPE (IPE), one of whom died in front of me, I think I have some knowledge of it. Also knowing that the foremost expert in dive medicine (who I know) feels that far more dive accidents/deaths are caused by SPE than previously thought as they are overlooked by coroners/doctors without the necessary knowledge and confused with dronwing.

 

[SeaCobra]

As I have seen two close friends suffer from SPE (IPE), one of whom died in front of me, I think I have some knowledge of it. Also knowing that the foremost expert in dive medicine (who I know) feels that far more dive accidents/deaths are caused by SPE than previously thought as they are overlooked by coroners/doctors without the necessary knowledge and confused with dronwing.

I agree that IPE is probably more prevalent than we previously thought, and perhaps we should add some discussion about it in our rescue classes, however it is still a rarity. Especially on internet forums, people have the habit of leaping right past the obvious to the latest cool fad.

For the record, I am not a doctor, just a simple instructor. I have also been involved in three rescues that involved IPE, one of which was a student of mine, some number of years ago, and that one turned out to be only the third recorded incident in DAN's history. Back then we still called in High Altitude Pulmonary Edema.

Since you have experience, if you look at her complete symptoms, the first aid provided and her response to that and her recovery, I still feel IPE was not involved here.

 

[dmaziuk]

I knew someone would go there There are a number of possibilities here from allergies, COPD or even the valve not being open all the way. Based on the limited info of the first aid and treatment I think IPE is unlikely.

Or just a garden variety hypertension/panic/whatever-you-call-them attack. I was recently on a plane where a guy had what looked like a bad one, by the time we landed and EMTs got in he was already all apologetic and seemed OK -- but was still carted away for observation. I had a couple of those myself and I'm pretty my reaction would be to get TH out of the water fast even if I didn't actually panic.