Thoughts on DIY Emergency Oxygen Kit?

[CuzzA]

My Rescue Diver manual says you really don't want to stick someone in the water. It takes too long and the victim will probably develop hypothermia before he gets relief.

Here's how the Aussies do it. I think there's too many variable and too many what ifs for a author to make a blanket statement like that. I also understand IWR is frowned upon (for obvious reasons) so it's also to be expected.

One would have to assume the victim is already wearing the proper exposure protection for the environment, right? I'd rather be a little cold from an extended dive than cold and dead.

 

[uncfnp]

Keep it simple.

If you have what you need for deco with 100 at 20 you will have everything you really need on board except for a method to ventilate a diver that is not breathing. Then you have to decide. Bag-valve-mask, can be difficult to use and as ev780 said the rescuer should be "properly trained" There is a knack to getting a good seal and operating the bag. If this is your choice, practice. Demand valve, you still need training but I think its actually easier to use and most likely will give the better results with a "properly trained" rescuer. Its been...a few years but unless things have changed, a paramadic will be using an artifical airway of some type making "bagging" a patient a breeze. Hence no need for a demand valve.

I can think of one not really dive injury but apparantly common in dives where additional O2 may be harmful, acute MI. Stroke is another consideration and of course severe COPD but I hope these individuals are not diving. Its true that in nondiving injuries, high flow oxygen is not the magic drug we use to think. Too many free radicals (ROS). But obviously this does not hold true with DCS.

 

[kwinter]

This thread has raised issues of O2 equipment both on the boat and in the water. Those needs are different. I'm a big fan of IWR, especially in cases where help could be significantly delayed. Even a helicopter could take a few hours when diving at a remote site. So the FFM and long tether etc are good ideas, even though they have little chance of being used.

On the boat is a different story. And medical cylinders and regs don't always hold up the best to the abuse and salt environment on a dive boat, or tend to be out of commission at the worst possible times. I try to be self reliant. A couple of things I always carry in my kit are a pocket mask and an adjustable O2 regulator with a DIN fitting. It can be used with standard nasal cannulas or masks and connects to the abundant O2 deco tanks on board.

iPhone. iTypo. iApologize.

 

[Bonuss]

CuzzA,

Have you thought through getting an incapacitated diver from the water back into your boat? This just might be the most challenging part of any of this!
.....

Safe Diving,
rx7diver

Per Noah.... rr "NOAA" (Diving Manual) I mean.
Bob in CO

 

[CuzzA]

An old, crappy MG video.. showing us throwing down an oxygen regulator on a 20 ft yellow hose. the tank was kept in the blue barrel on the platform. Much easier on our backs than hauling a bottle up after every dive, but we had a bigger boat, 50 tanks on board.. so not an issue.

Nice haul in that video. I'm curious, was this just precautionary, blown deco, the diver symptomatic?

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Nice haul in that video. I'm curious, was this just precautionary, blown deco, the diver symptomatic?

It was just the normal way we dove.. The live boat finds the divers bubbles, drives over him, when he looks shallow, throw the O2 reg, he hangs on it, takes several hits of oxygen if he wants... we had an inline valve at the regulator, and sometime we had a snorkeler to take your fish, so you do not have to hang with them. It was commercial fishing, not recreational.

If the diver wanted oxygen and the boat did not show up, he would deploy an smb from 20 feet and the boat would go to him.

By the time you get to the 20 ft stop, the diver should be relaxed and breathing slowly. For me, in order to conserve oxygen, I would take 3-4 real deep and fast hits from my main tank and push out all the air from my lungs - to blow off Co2. Nothing crazy, so once your C02 is blown down, you can take very slow hits of oxygen and can hold very comfortably.. taking maybe just 3 breaths per minute.. for 2 minutes of oxygen. A tank can last 4 guys, 3 days of diving like that. We always had 2 bottles and other medical ones too, for an emergency.

More silliness on that boat..

[video=youtube;-2Kzgqodtkg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2Kzgqodtkg[/video]

 

[tbone1004]

for USCG?
yes
yes
that's what the backup is for
in your area, that's what the backup is for
highly unlikely
that could work

either way, you call the coast guard and let them handle that situation. With the dives you are doing, it is HIGHLY unlikely that you have a real DCS incident that would require a chopper. What is much more likely is that someone comes up with an embolism. Mild DCS is easy, embolism is a b!tch

 

[Rooster59]

I would read Kwinter's post #33 again. And take the Dan o2 course or equivalent, or have an EMT show you how a medical kit works. Your victim may not be able to breathe off a regulator.

 

[Pao]

This thread has raised issues of O2 equipment both on the boat and in the water. Those needs are different. I'm a big fan of IWR, especially in cases where help could be significantly delayed. Even a helicopter could take a few hours when diving at a remote site. So the FFM and long tether etc are good ideas, even though they have little chance of being used.

On the boat is a different story. And medical cylinders and regs don't always hold up the best to the abuse and salt environment on a dive boat, or tend to be out of commission at the worst possible times. I try to be self reliant. A couple of things I always carry in my kit are a pocket mask and an adjustable O2 regulator with a DIN fitting. It can be used with standard nasal cannulas or masks and connects to the abundant O2 deco tanks on board.

iPhone. iTypo. iApologize.

I'm interested in your O2 regulator. How did you do it?

Sent from my Underwood typewriter

 

[tbone1004]

Portable Oxygen Cylinders and Regulators

take one of those and remove the CGA540 fitting. Barb or DISS only, which is somewhat limiting, but if you are using a BVM or non-rebreather mask then it doesn't matter, or if you decide to use an MTV-100

Anderson Metals 56122 Brass Pipe Fitting, Hex Nipple, 1/4" x 1/4" NPT Male Pipe: Industrial Pipe Fittings: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

one of those with some teflon tape

Din Fill Adapter w/ 1/4" female NPT Fitting "Nitrox Ready
one of those. If you use barb, just make sure that it is flowing when you shut the tank off to relieve the pressure, if you use DISS, either put a blow valve on the fill adapter, or make sure that your demand valve is connected and breathe it down like you would a normal regulator.

Assemble

Under $100