Rescue of an Unconscious Diver Underwater

[Ed Gamboa]

If a diver falls unconscious and the regulator falls out of his or her mouth, it should not be replaced because by manipulating the person’s airway, there will be a risk of water entering in. There is an exception though, if the dive was in a cave or under ice, then it will need to be purged first and then replaced. In the event that the regulator did not fall off them, it should be left in place and everything done to keep it there.

View attachment 407975

If the person is undergoing a seizure and is in the clonic phase with the muscles relaxing and contracting, and the regulator has fallen out of the person’s mouth, then you should do your best to get the person up to the surface as soon as possible. If the mouthpiece is still in place, then you need to keep it there and then seal the person’s lips around it until the seizure has passed. Then you can take the victim to the surface. All of this is done in order to prevent the person from inhaling water once the clonic phase is passed and the person begins to breathe deeply.

Taking the Person to the Surface
As the gas in the unconscious victim’s lungs begins to expand, it will look for an avenue of escape. That is why it is important to ensure that the victim’s head remains in a neutral position when the victim is unconscious. During the ascent, it is not recommended that you carry out any chest compressions. The primary focus should be on buoyancy control, keeping the mouthpiece of the regulator in place and properly positioning the victim’s head.

Procedures on the Surface
At the surface, you need to check if the person is still breathing. If not, you should deliver rescue breaths immediately. If the person is breathing not delivering the rescue breaths will likely not harm him, but if the person is not breathing, then not delivering the breaths could lead to plenty of harm.

Delivering rescue breaths to the victim when he or she is in deep water is endorsed, however, how efficient the breaths are will depend on the training of the rescuer as well as how often he or she practices their technique. In fact, evidence suggests that giving these rescue breaths underwater can help prevent a cardiac arrest.

Conclusion
Even though these recommendations have been made by the committee based on the evidence available, the successful execution of the same is dependent on the abilities and training of the rescuing diver. If the rescuer feels that the situation will cause him significant harm, then he or she is free to opt out of harm’s way.

Dive safely and risk management is what every diver should aim to do whether for recreational or professional. Consider a diving professoinal will definitely help one diver to earn more experience and knowledge in these areas. Sign up for PADI Divemaster course today and advance your dive skills today!

Source: IDC Bali Internship - Blue season

Why would you replace a reg in a cave or ice diving environment but not OW?

There are quite a few logic fallacies.

 

[Ed Gamboa]

If a diver falls unconscious and the regulator falls out of his or her mouth, it should not be replaced because by manipulating the person’s airway, there will be a risk of water entering in. There is an exception though, if the dive was in a cave or under ice, then it will need to be purged first and then replaced. In the event that the regulator did not fall off them, it should be left in place and everything done to keep it there.

View attachment 407975

If the person is undergoing a seizure and is in the clonic phase with the muscles relaxing and contracting, and the regulator has fallen out of the person’s mouth, then you should do your best to get the person up to the surface as soon as possible. If the mouthpiece is still in place, then you need to keep it there and then seal the person’s lips around it until the seizure has passed. Then you can take the victim to the surface. All of this is done in order to prevent the person from inhaling water once the clonic phase is passed and the person begins to breathe deeply.

Taking the Person to the Surface
As the gas in the unconscious victim’s lungs begins to expand, it will look for an avenue of escape. That is why it is important to ensure that the victim’s head remains in a neutral position when the victim is unconscious. During the ascent, it is not recommended that you carry out any chest compressions. The primary focus should be on buoyancy control, keeping the mouthpiece of the regulator in place and properly positioning the victim’s head.

Procedures on the Surface
At the surface, you need to check if the person is still breathing. If not, you should deliver rescue breaths immediately. If the person is breathing not delivering the rescue breaths will likely not harm him, but if the person is not breathing, then not delivering the breaths could lead to plenty of harm.

Delivering rescue breaths to the victim when he or she is in deep water is endorsed, however, how efficient the breaths are will depend on the training of the rescuer as well as how often he or she practices their technique. In fact, evidence suggests that giving these rescue breaths underwater can help prevent a cardiac arrest.

Conclusion
Even though these recommendations have been made by the committee based on the evidence available, the successful execution of the same is dependent on the abilities and training of the rescuing diver. If the rescuer feels that the situation will cause him significant harm, then he or she is free to opt out of harm’s way.

Dive safely and risk management is what every diver should aim to do whether for recreational or professional. Consider a diving professoinal will definitely help one diver to earn more experience and knowledge in these areas. Sign up for PADI Divemaster course today and advance your dive skills today!

Source: IDC Bali Internship - Blue season

I was pondering the question so I googled it and here is where it brought me. The reason I was thinking about this is because I read the U.S. Dive Manual regularly. In Chapter 7 the EP is to put it back. I asked one of my students what they were teaching at the Chrystal palace these days and he said they tell them to keep it there if it's there or leave it out if it isn't. Well that was annoying. After giving it some thought and reading Chapter 15 which is on re-breathers, I have some what of a logical reason for the contradictions in the E.P in Chapter 15 which says to leave it off if it fell off. The chapter 3 in dive medicine is basically addressing all the things that would likely happen in a rebreather. CO2 build up, hypoxia.... let's face it in a second stage when you exhale there isn't any dead space to build up Co2 which is one of the causes listed for reason to have Hypercapnia. It's a serious danger in a rebreather. So I'm concluding that the water entering a rebreather and creating a caustic solution is probably the reasoning for not putting the regulator back in the mouth. It could have been the cause of the unconscious diver in the first place so why would you put it back in his or her mouth? That would explain why chapter 7 is different than chapter 15. Just my 2 cents. - Ed

 

[boulderjohn]

There are quite a few logic fallacies.

I was pondering the question so I googled it and here is where it brought me. The reason I was thinking about this is because I read the U.S. Dive Manual regularly. In Chapter 7 the EP is to put it back. I asked one of my students what they were teaching at the Chrystal palace these days and he said they tell them to keep it there if it's there or leave it out if it isn't. Well that was annoying. After giving it some thought and reading Chapter 15 which is on re-breathers, I have some what of a logical reason for the contradictions in the E.P in Chapter 15 which says to leave it off if it fell off. The chapter 3 in dive medicine is basically addressing all the things that would likely happen in a rebreather. CO2 build up, hypoxia.... let's face it in a second stage when you exhale there isn't any dead space to build up Co2 which is one of the causes listed for reason to have Hypercapnia. It's a serious danger in a rebreather. So I'm concluding that the water entering a rebreather and creating a caustic solution is probably the reasoning for not putting the regulator back in the mouth. It could have been the cause of the unconscious diver in the first place so why would you put it back in his or her mouth? That would explain why chapter 7 is different than chapter 15. Just my 2 cents. - Ed

You are responding to the first post of a 5-year old thread.

Taken as a whole, it is certainly one of the most valuable threads in ScubaBoard history, with tons of good information starting a few pages after that first post. I strongly suggest that you and anyone else interested in this topic read through the entire thread.

 

[lowwall]

You are responding to the first post of a 5-year old thread.

Taken as a whole, it is certainly one of the most valuable threads in ScubaBoard history, with tons of good information starting a few pages after that first post. I strongly suggest that you and anyone else interested in this topic read through the entire thread.

I just read it and it looks like the good info is all on pages 2-6. And then read the attached journal article and review the flowchart which comes from it.

The rest is an example of the wisdom of Proverbs 18:3 (English Standard Version): A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

I know this is an older thread, and haven’t read past page 2 until this page. But I don’t see anything about dropping weights. Is this now, with the BCDs, an out-of-date procedure on the surface? Or is it implied by “establish positive floatation”?

SeaRat

 

[Vicko]

Once on the surface you drop the weights, for the very simple reason that sooner or later you will have to take off the bcd off of the victim and you will feel rather dumb if they sink.