Teenager with DCS, mother in denial, treatment delayed

[BlueTrin]

@ginti ill avoid giving any personal opinion and only quote studies

Don’t have any bones to pick in that fight

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

As the emoji above suggests, we are edging toward a dumpster fire here. Play nice, please.

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[Belzelbub]

However, it is my personal belief that understanding well decompression issues require lots of experience and, possibly, a bit of this experience should be about tech diving. The point is that deco is not fairly treated in rec-diving courses.

That's true. However, I don't think a thorough knowledge of decompression issues is required in cases like these. Understanding that it can happen, and what some possible symptoms are is enough. First aid is usually the same. Out of the water, and on oxygen. Even if the oxygen doesn't help the particular variety, it doesn't hurt.

In water recompression can theoretically work, but is usually not recommended as it's not as easy to control. I can understand doing IWR when in remote areas where a chamber is not likely to be found nearby. Not the case in this area. In most cases it's not recommended as more harm can be done. The fact that it was attempted seems to indicate that there was, at least, knowledge of potential problems.

Now, I have no idea how difficult spearfishing tournaments are (here in Europe spearfishing with SCUBA equipment is illegal, at least in some countries), is it fair to assume that they don't require advanced knowledge of decompression theory?

Each one has different rules, but often there are different categories for Freediving and Scuba. The tournament organizers do not require any classes specific to the tournament. Usually registration and a Captain's meeting would be required. Depending on the tournament, there are likely also to be limits on distance/depth, and species to prevent riskier deep dives.

The reference to the tournament win is not to imply that advanced deco theory is required, but rather to indicate that this appears to be a family that is familiar with diving and spearfishing. I have no idea how many people are in the family, or how many dive/spearfish, but it appears to be at least two. The mother is on a local Spearfishing Facebook group.

 

[formernuke]

I wonder about the certification. DCS is covered in basic OW including that it can happen even within NDL. Also covered is that with any signs it needs to be addressed immediately. I understand that not all boats have O2 on hand but still.

Seems like either bad class or at least 2 people forgot one of the most important rules of diving.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Many speeros, here in Florida especially, seem to have an ethos that runs right up against a line of being unsafe in order to get the shot. Repetitive, deep bounce dives well below recreational depths are not uncommon. Most of the folks that do this though, in my opinion, know the risks and would recognize these symptoms I believe. These parent's seeming cluelessness and reckless disregard for the health of their own child is hard for me to fathom.

 

[boulderjohn]

It is important to emphasize that item number 2 is not correct with regard to sequence of events which should occur in an emergency. Delays can cause the spinal cord to die!

Do NOT call DAN first. Call EMS, get the evacuation started with the help of local authorities. Do not assume if you call DAN first that they will do this for you - they won't. If you have two phones there should be no problem in making simultaneous calls.

Personally, I would call DAN first. If they think you have possible DCS, they will get you going to the correct facility for treatment by people who are trained to diagnose and treat DCS. An EMT might take you right to a hospital that either does not have hyperbaric treatment at all or one that refuses to give hyperbaric treatment to divers. Yes, that is indeed true for many hospitals. If you get DCS in Ginnie Springs in Florida I am pretty darn sure an EMT is not going to take you anywhere close to a hyperbaric facility.

Right now a former professional diver who is well known to many people on this thread is looking for a new way to make a living a couple of years after his DCS treatment was delayed significantly because the EMTs and emergency room to which he was taken refused to give him early treatment for DCS no matter how much he begged for it.

 

[formernuke]

Right now a former professional diver who is well known to many people on this thread is looking for a new way to make a living a couple of years after his DCS treatment was delayed significantly because the EMTs and emergency room to which he was taken refused to give him early treatment for DCS no matter how much he begged for it.

See my post above about 8hrs in ER with nothing at all. Part of why I now have a O2 kit.

 

[Miyaru]

...
But the IWR is really puzzling. Without the IWR it's just ignorance. Some symptoms caused them to think that was necessary, but then they pretended or forgot that was ever a thing after they got back, all the while the symptoms getting worse... wtf? That part doesn't add up at all.

I've been thinking about this as well.
What was the idea behind going back down to 25ft, with another diver?
I'm pretty sure that every technical diver can explain why it's useless if you do this on air, so it's not about the answer, but the reasoning.

 

[johndiver999]

This is what it says on the DAN website:

Emergency Assistance​

When you need it most, DAN will be here to help. We coordinate emergency evacuations and cover the costs — up to US$150,000 per person. Every DAN member is entitled to these emergency services as well as travel, medical, legal and personal assistance.

In an emergency, contact local EMS, then call DAN at +1 (919) 684-9111.

 

[johndiver999]

Trying to get inside the mother’s thought process during this situation? Not going to happen for me.

I think the pervasive theme is that she clearly thought the kid was being a hypochondriac and threw him in for a shallow dive with another diver to appease him. Even when presented with overwhelming evidence to the contrary, she wrongly assumed that he just couldn't be bent because he did a safety stop and did nothing wrong.

So if there is any lesson, it is a very stark reminder that anyone can get bent on any dive. Hard to accept, but if you can not concede this point, you can not make the right decisions.

Also, somewhat off topic and contrary to the point above - But she mentions him using a light gun and dropping it after shooting a fish.

Without the ballast of the spear shaft, the gun will float away to the surface (quickly) and could get lost. When presented with this situation, a diver might be tempted to shoot up after it and chase it - possibly all the way to the surface. Stupid of course, but understandable.

You have to wonder if this might have happened and then he re-descended and did his safety stop. The mom might not have seen all that went on underwater.

 

[formernuke]

She doesn't say what the first signs of trouble were, just that he said you were right about the gun floating. A lot of missing information.