Unknown Woody From “Dive Talk” DCS and Medical Journey

[Wallowa]

Shands University of Florida is one that refuses to treat bent divers. It is the closest chamber to cave country...25 miles from Ginnie but they send bent divers to Tampa, Orlando or elsewhere.

Thanks for that...and yes I will bet cave/overhead dives generate more chamber rides...what type chambers are at Tampa/Orlando ...?

 

[Hiszpan]

In Bermuda we have a chamber in a hospital with nurse and deco doc available. However the main usage of that chamber is the oxygen treatment of skin disorders (wounds etc.). The chamber would not break even with only DCI treatments which, thankfully, almost haven’t happened in recent years.

 

[rjack321]

That is a surprise...that 6ata chambers are available that will not treat a diver...not trying to criticize but can you name those chambers? I ask because I am trying to compile a list of nationwide 6ata chambers that will treat dives; this is personal, in case I need treatment. Currently DAN or any other agency does not maintain or publish an up to date list of what 6ata chambers are on-line for diver treatment.

Your list is pretty much pointless and could lead you to show up at a facility unprepared to accept you. The equipment itself is only part of what is required to treat a diver. There needs to be an available hyperbaric physician to see you and prescribe HBOT. There needs to be staffing available to operate the chamber. There needs to be a qualified attendant who hasn't been on a recent chamber dive to go with you (in a non monoplace chamber). The chamber needs to be operational and not down for maintenance. The facility management itself need to accept DCI patients.

Your list will be valid one day and invalid the next. This is part of why DAN won't release their contacts, they don't want you potentially relying on outdated information.

 

[rjack321]

Shands University of Florida is one that refuses to treat bent divers. It is the closest chamber to cave country...25 miles from Ginnie but they send bent divers to Tampa, Orlando or elsewhere.

The chamber in Victoria BC doesn't accept (recreational) divers - despite being a Navy facility designed for Canadian military divers. Recreational divers have to commute by car and ferry to Vancouver. It's a very long trip from Port Hardy, don't get bent up there!

 

[Josh the diver]

Shands University of Florida is one that refuses to treat bent divers. It is the closest chamber to cave country...25 miles from Ginnie but they send bent divers to Tampa, Orlando or elsewhere.

Shands does not have the chamber in the main hospital any more.

 

[JoeTPhilly]

Hyperbaric Chambers Are Turning Away Divers. Will There Be One Nearby When You Need It?

Unfortunately, it’s hard to make a business case for treating divers versus wound and burn care victims. As a result, many hyperbaric chambers in the US no longer treat divers, leaving fewer facilities available for divers in need and increasing their post-dive time to treatment. InDEPTH editor...

indepthmag.com

 

[rjack321]

Hyperbaric Chambers Are Turning Away Divers. Will There Be One Nearby When You Need It?

Unfortunately, it’s hard to make a business case for treating divers versus wound and burn care victims. As a result, many hyperbaric chambers in the US no longer treat divers, leaving fewer facilities available for divers in need and increasing their post-dive time to treatment. InDEPTH editor...

indepthmag.com

A very good example of how hard it is to keep up with what chambers are treating DCI and the potential consequences of basing your response on an outdated list.

 

[Capt Jim Wyatt]

Shands does not have the chamber in the main hospital any more.

Where is it now?

 

[Josh the diver]

Where is it now?

they got one off of NW 39 Ave. I work for a MEP engineering firm that does most of the design work for Shands.

 

[Wallowa]

Your list is pretty much pointless and could lead you to show up at a facility unprepared to accept you. The equipment itself is only part of what is required to treat a diver. There needs to be an available hyperbaric physician to see you and prescribe HBOT. There needs to be staffing available to operate the chamber. There needs to be a qualified attendant who hasn't been on a recent chamber dive to go with you (in a non monoplace chamber). The chamber needs to be operational and not down for maintenance. The facility management itself need to accept DCI patients.

Your list will be valid one day and invalid the next. This is part of why DAN won't release their contacts, they don't want you potentially relying on outdated information.

Just the opposite from pointless...a listing of operational 6ata chambers that will treat civilian divers is the point...of course operational meaning it has either an on-call or resident staff....outdated information? Why should it be outdated? This is not rocket science to keep any listing up to date and published.

If DAN has a listing of 67 chambers that will treat divers why do they not make it available to all divers or even members?

I am not adept at the internet, but savy enough to know that a program or protocol could be written to easily monitor and update the status of chambers that will treat divers; including the type of chamber, phone contact information, address and best transportation options.

If you are a victim of DCI and you have done your due diligence to locate the chamber information of chambers nearest to your dive site you have saved time in getting treatment and perhaps saved yourself. No passing the buck for planning ahead rather than deferring your well being to someone or entity to plan for you; each of us should pre-plan how we could access the correct treatment in the case of DCI.

Play ostrich and hope that a chamber will be located in time to ameliorate your DCI to prevent death or serious permanent neurological, skeletal or organ deficits? Lots of reason for "why you can't get there from here" but the injured diver should have known "how to get where from here ". Woody, the topic of this thread, did not have a accident plan and paid for that omission.

I am not a guru or expert, these are just my opinions and once again I could be wrong. Each person will call the shots for their own well being. Freedom of choice. Good luck and enjoy gift of being a diver.