What do you do when donating to a panicked diver who initiates a buoyant ascent?

[MikeHoncho]

I’m not familiar with the finger into the glottic opening technique to open an airway. Fingers wouldn’t be very effective in getting to the vocal cords. I’m not aware of any situation that stimulating a gag reflex would overcome a laryngospasm. Jamming fingers onto someone’s mouth also sounds like a good way to injure the oropharynx or your finger.

I’m also not sure if laryngospasm can crate enough pressure in the lungs to cause barotrauma vs active breath holding.

I’m not saying your technique didn’t work, but I’m not sure if that was the cause of the ending of the laryngospasm either. My guess is that jamming fingers into someone’s mouth is more likely to cause harm than good. Perhaps @Duke Dive Medicine can offer some more insight.

I’ve done many digital intubations and do not see how a highly trained person could digitally manipulate an epiglottis under this situation. I have never been able to actually feel an epiglottis in a setting of the pt laying horizontal . I don’t recommend this as a technique.

 

[kinoons]

I’ve done many digital intubations and do not see how a highly trained person could digitally manipulate an epiglottis under this situation. I have never been able to actually feel an epiglottis in a setting of the pt laying horizontal . I don’t recommend this as a technique.

This has been my experience as well. I’d like to meet the guy with a hand and finger shaped like a miller 4 blade.

 

[JohnN]

A

That would mean never dive with new divers and never get any new dive buddies.
That's not how real life works for most people.

And another excellent reason to dive solo

 

[MidOH]

They're in a panic and they're making bad choices that can easily kill them or permanently disable them.

That's not what they WANT and it's rather shocking you need this explained to you along with the responsibility you assume when you buddy with someone during a dive.

Dont worry, Ill be sure to hold you down extra tight.

 

[MikeHoncho]

This has been my experience as well. I’d like to meet the guy with a hand and finger shaped like a miller 4 blade.

I’m a Miller man myself ( although dropped my very last year after 27 years. Mac’s for trauma though. The kids these days with their fandangled video scopes……

 

[MikeHoncho]

They're in a panic and they're making bad choices that can easily kill them or permanently disable them.

That's not what they WANT and it's rather shocking you need this explained to you along with the responsibility you assume when you buddy with someone during a dive.

Morals aside, do you think it would be successful or even effective if they inflate their BC? I’m thinking not.

 

[Blackcrusader]

If I'm in a situation where I'm on a cattle boat without a known dive buddy, I will happily pay for a private guide/DM so I can skip the whole instabuddy process. Been burned too many times.

Yet the DM is your new instabuddy and there is no telling if the DM just got his cert a few days previously and only has 100 career dives. I've been paired up with such a new minted DM. In November last year I was paired up with a DM that on several dives I had to check his air as he was a gas hog because he did not have a wetsuit on and got cold. A few dives I called when he was at 40 bar and I still had a half tank. He is a fine diver, just needs to put on a wetsuit if he is cold.

 

[MikeHoncho]

I'm thinking that inflating the BCD would make a panicked ascent an even greater problem.

Not the person helping, the “victim“ inflating their own bc.

 

[UofMI_Divegeek]

Since you asked for experiences,

As a young instructor, I had a student initiate an "escape to the surface" event. Because the suddenness and explosive nature of the violence surprised me, I described the event in a published article

Battle Royale

Its best to assume a panicked diver has ceased being a rationale human creature as their fear / anxiety/ perceived life threat has taken control.

In general there is no time to think, all you can do is react to the situation (Do whatever you can to slow ascent ... apparently locking my legs around the diver's furiously kicking legs was effective.)

Incidentally, I do not have much faith is the "OK" signal 'cause I have witnessed several incidents where a diver indicates "OK" and then immediately does something that creates a life-threatening situation.

 

[fiveoboy01]

Since you asked for experiences,

As a young instructor, I had a student initiate an "escape to the surface" event. Because the suddenness and explosive nature of the violence surprised me, I described the event in a published article

Battle Royale

Its best to assume a panicked diver has ceased being a rationale human creature as their fear / anxiety/ perceived life threat has taken control.

In general there is no time to think, all you can do is react to the situation (Do whatever you can to slow ascent ... apparently locking my legs around the diver's furiously kicking legs was effective.)

Incidentally, I do not have much faith is the "OK" signal 'cause I have witnessed several incidents where a diver indicates "OK" and then immediately does something that creates a life-threatening situation.

Man. Reading the end of that... A good example of how some make it through who shouldn't or aren't there yet.