What if we get bent?

[matts1w]

[QUOTE="Wingy, post: 8031115, member: 422190 "I do not know if this is still true but I heard the chamber at Waisia is great, but no staff so it's not open.[/QUOTE]

This sounds about right. My wife is a doctor and after medical school did a year of remote service about ten hours outside of Kupang. One day a government truck showed up in the village and left them a top of the line respirator as well as a very expensive electric powered dental chair. Only one problem...the nearest electrical outlet to run the new gear was about three hours away.

 

[Searcaigh]

but I've decided that I am going to pose this question to our LOB operator and see what their plan would be...of how they've done it or heard of it being done in previous situations

Perhaps LOB operators should publish their SOPs for dealing with DCS on their website to assure that their customers will be managed properly.

 

[billt4sf]

Here is the answer I got from Mermaid:

Dear Bill,

It is up to your insurer as to how to manage such an event. We would be prompted by their instruction. If diving Komodo generally by flight to Bali… or in Raja Ampat if the local chamber on Waisai is operational then transfer by boat to that chamber. If not operational then your insurer would determine evacuation to Bali, Jakarta or Singapore.

All the best,

Kay Golding

Director

Mermaid Liveaboards

 

[Kevrumbo]

FYI and issues/options to be aware of:

https://www.diversalertnetwork.org/files/RemoteWrkshpFinal05.pdf

 

[Indah]

Any urgent medical emergency situation, at any far-away place can develop into a disaster. Ask sailors, travelers by motorbike through the Sahara, mountaineers, off-piste skiers and other adventurous types. Getting the bends is nothing to take easily, but chances it will kill you are rather small after doing recreational diving. The link Kevrumbo gave is extremely useful. Thanks a lot. Everybody should read the paper.

 

[Kevrumbo]

For US Citizens abroad, don't forget that you have the resources of the US State Department to try as a last resort of help as well:

Emergencies Abroad
Indonesia
STEP

 

[billt4sf]

FYI and issues/options to be aware of:

https://www.diversalertnetwork.org/files/RemoteWrkshpFinal05.pdf

The paper is good. Thanks for posting it! read a bunch of it, not all of it. It pertains to *MILD DCI signs and symptoms* only, (like tingling in one spot that does not progress) -- not what we might consider a full case of DCI, not even skin bends IIUC.

It does not answer my question about what can be done in Raja Ampat if you get a case of "real" DCI.

- Bill

 

[Kevrumbo]

The paper is good. Thanks for posting it! read a bunch of it, not all of it. It pertains to *MILD DCI signs and symptoms* only, (like tingling in one spot that does not progress) -- not what we might consider a full case of DCI, not even skin bends IIUC.

It does not answer my question about what can be done in Raja Ampat if you get a case of "real" DCI.

- Bill

Well . . .there's the other "contingency option" (if the dive operation is prepared to even offer it). The risks and treatment profiles are covered in this thread:

In-Water Recompression, Revisited

 

[Peter69_56]

From experience, does the LDS have pure oxygen available. Thats the most important first aid before anything. No oxygen then I wouldnt go diving with them. If a skin bend O2 will usually sort it, if a serious bend then it helps over having nothing until you get to a chamber.

Oh and if you do get bent somewhere and there is no oxygen, even Nitrox is better than nothing, the higher the O2 level the better it is.

 

[tracydr]

As far as I know, there are chambers in Manado, Bali, Jakarta, Makassar, Surabaya, Mataram (Lombok) and Kalimantan. I have no idea about the quality of the doctors running them, but would guess...well...this is Indonesia. Any of the good LOBs of course have emergency plans in place to gets individuals to the nearest city with an airport for a low altitude flight to the nearest chamber. It goes without saying this would be a horrible place to be bent as well as an expensive nightmare which is why carrying DAN insurance is a must for any of us who dive in remote SE Asia. It also goes without saying that one's proximity to medical care should absolutely limit how aggressive one's dive plan is, especially on a LOB.

I should add that diving aggressively off a LOB is terribly selfish. Putting one's health at risk is one thing, but selfishly risking ending everyone's trip is very much not cool.

Our dive trip to the Galapagos ended a day early,we missed out on the best places. Mainly due to our trip coordinator who had flown directly from another long dive trip without a break and dove pretty hard on both Galapagos and the earlier trip.
Thinking about the rest of the group is probably not something a lot of consider when they go on long dive trips but it was a real bummer to lose the best day of a once in a lifetime trip.