Hyperbaric Chamber Tour 2012
On October 21, 2012 a group of about 15-20 of us all met at VGH and took a tour of the hyperbaric chamber. Dr. David Harrison generously donated
his time to show us the chamber. He taught us some valuable lessons about diving medicine, showed off a slideshow, implanted some statistics in our heads and answer a myriad of questions. Yes, you can use the toilet while in the chamber. Yes, there is a hole large enough to fit a pizza box through. We spent about an hour or so at first going over a well put together slideshow that went through some safety tips, statistics and research that he has done, safe diving techniques and configurations as well as a bit about altitude diving (and driving). We also went over some pre-dispositions to DCS and learned about private chamber use in BC. Some key points worth pointing out were:
1) Redundancy in gear and equipment (for example, consider always using two dive computers, dive on Nitrox but treat it as air, use a pony bottle and be sure to bring an oxygen tank in case of emergencies).
2) Consider the use of a regulator necklace (many of the local fatalities studied could most likely have been prevented by the use of one).
3) Pre-despositions to DCS (age, cardiovascular health, physical activity before and after the dive, etc)
4) Anyone over the age of 50 should ask their doctor for a stress test. Those over this age may be more susceptible to DCS due to cardiovascular health issues.
5) Always ascend slowly from every dive. It was drilled into our heads in OW class for a good reason. Between 30 feet/min to 60 feet/min – slower is
better.
6) You are covered for use of the chamber under Medical Services Plan. A B.C. diver does not require DAN or any other insurance unless they travel.
7) If you *think* you might have DCS, call the doctors on duty at the hospital. They would love to speak to you. They would much rather chat about your dive profile and help figure out over the phone at 3pm in the afternoon If you need to come in, then be woken up at 2am for an emergency case. Having said that, if you think you need treatment, go right away and don't wait until the morning! The staff would rather get up and go to work at in the middle of the night if it means saving a person from permanent disability.
8) Always stay well hydrated before and after diving and don’t dive if you don’t feel well.
9) Once a licensed hyperbaric chamber is sold, there is no regulatory body responsible for monitoring the ongoing safety and quality of its operation or the conditions that are being treated. So going to a private chamber, may not be the best plan if you can avoid it.
The Hyperbaric Chamber also treats many other different conditions besides diving related injuries, such as carbon monoxide poisoning, arterial gas embolism (air or gas bubbles in the bloodstream), gas gangrene, crush injuries, Compartment Syndrome and other acute traumatic problems where blood flow is reduced or cut off, exceptional blood loss anemia brain abscess (an accumulation of pus in the brain), necrotizing soft tissue infections (flesh-eating disease), chronic bone infection (osteomyelitis), delayed radiation injury (side effect cancer radiotherapy), skin grafts and flaps that are not healing well, thermal burns (from fire or electrical sources) and frostbite as well as diabetic non-healing ulcers.
One thing some of us found, was that the advice given was a bit overly conservative. However one thing to remember, is that if we choose to dive keeping all this advice in mind, we’ll likely never become one of Dr. Harrison’s "see you in 6 months" statistics. All in all, the tour was fascinating and incredibly
informative.
For more information, check out this brochure. It is the exact literature you would get if you were to receive treatment in the chamber we toured.
his time to show us the chamber. He taught us some valuable lessons about diving medicine, showed off a slideshow, implanted some statistics in our heads and answer a myriad of questions. Yes, you can use the toilet while in the chamber. Yes, there is a hole large enough to fit a pizza box through. We spent about an hour or so at first going over a well put together slideshow that went through some safety tips, statistics and research that he has done, safe diving techniques and configurations as well as a bit about altitude diving (and driving). We also went over some pre-dispositions to DCS and learned about private chamber use in BC. Some key points worth pointing out were:
1) Redundancy in gear and equipment (for example, consider always using two dive computers, dive on Nitrox but treat it as air, use a pony bottle and be sure to bring an oxygen tank in case of emergencies).
2) Consider the use of a regulator necklace (many of the local fatalities studied could most likely have been prevented by the use of one).
3) Pre-despositions to DCS (age, cardiovascular health, physical activity before and after the dive, etc)
4) Anyone over the age of 50 should ask their doctor for a stress test. Those over this age may be more susceptible to DCS due to cardiovascular health issues.
5) Always ascend slowly from every dive. It was drilled into our heads in OW class for a good reason. Between 30 feet/min to 60 feet/min – slower is
better.
6) You are covered for use of the chamber under Medical Services Plan. A B.C. diver does not require DAN or any other insurance unless they travel.
7) If you *think* you might have DCS, call the doctors on duty at the hospital. They would love to speak to you. They would much rather chat about your dive profile and help figure out over the phone at 3pm in the afternoon If you need to come in, then be woken up at 2am for an emergency case. Having said that, if you think you need treatment, go right away and don't wait until the morning! The staff would rather get up and go to work at in the middle of the night if it means saving a person from permanent disability.
8) Always stay well hydrated before and after diving and don’t dive if you don’t feel well.
9) Once a licensed hyperbaric chamber is sold, there is no regulatory body responsible for monitoring the ongoing safety and quality of its operation or the conditions that are being treated. So going to a private chamber, may not be the best plan if you can avoid it.
The Hyperbaric Chamber also treats many other different conditions besides diving related injuries, such as carbon monoxide poisoning, arterial gas embolism (air or gas bubbles in the bloodstream), gas gangrene, crush injuries, Compartment Syndrome and other acute traumatic problems where blood flow is reduced or cut off, exceptional blood loss anemia brain abscess (an accumulation of pus in the brain), necrotizing soft tissue infections (flesh-eating disease), chronic bone infection (osteomyelitis), delayed radiation injury (side effect cancer radiotherapy), skin grafts and flaps that are not healing well, thermal burns (from fire or electrical sources) and frostbite as well as diabetic non-healing ulcers.
One thing some of us found, was that the advice given was a bit overly conservative. However one thing to remember, is that if we choose to dive keeping all this advice in mind, we’ll likely never become one of Dr. Harrison’s "see you in 6 months" statistics. All in all, the tour was fascinating and incredibly
informative.
For more information, check out this brochure. It is the exact literature you would get if you were to receive treatment in the chamber we toured.
