Dive News

Divers do not want to end up in “the Pot” – our weirdly affectionate term for what is effectively the last ditch effort to get ourselves out of the poo that is a bubble injury (decompression illness or an arterial gas embolism).

Yesterday however, 5 of us jumped at the chance to get in the chamber at Auckland’s Hyperbaric Health.

Deralie and I look stunning in scrubs outside "Nemo" - the chamber

What is a Chamber?

A Hyperbaric Chamber is a pressure vessel which artificially reproduces the hyperbaric conditions under the sea.
Chambers range in size from a portable one person unit to a room that can fit six, seven or even eight people in it.  They are typically operated by hospitals, navies, specialised medical centres and diving organisations.

Chambers normally operate at absolute pressures of between 3 bars and 6 bars.
Medical personnel can be present and through a series of air locks, care (and food) can be administered while a person is undergoing treatment under pressure.

Decompression Chambers are used so that divers can complete their decompression stops required at the end of the dive on the surface – and dry – rather than underwater.  This is a lot safer and a lot more pleasant than being cold.

Recompression Chambers are used to treat diving related injuries such as decompression sickness.

What other uses are there for a Decompression Chamber?

Hyperbaric therapy – or Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy HBOT – is used for more than scuba diving related injuries.

The Australian and New Zealand Hyperbaric Medicine Group provides a list of treatments that HBOT might offer including;

• Diabetic wounds such as ulcers and gangrene
• Problem wounds
• Infective conditions including necrotising infections
• Toxic gas poisoning
• Thermal burns and frostbite

The team at Hyperbaric Health take us for a dive

Hyperbaric Health offer HBOT at the Quay Park Medical Centre in Auckland.

Janina and Johan looked after us on our visit.
Johan is the Head Hyperbaric Technician and he briefed us on the dive plan.
We ran a 40-50m scenario with a 15min bottom time.  This would give us around 20 minutes of decompression time according to a DCEIM (Defense and Civil Institute of Environmental Medicine – Canada) chart – and a total runtime of around 56 minutes.

Abby waited on the outside so I handed her my iPhone and asked her to take a few pictures if she could.

We hopped in (squeezed in) to the entry area.  It is a smaller area and we can descend quicker as there is less air space.
You need to continually equalise and it gets very very warm in there very quickly.

There is also a sink and a toilet in this section.
Good to know if you were under going treatment (which can be up to 8 hours).  We could also take in a jug of water and some polystyrene cups.

(A clipboard, a pencil, a football, an empty bottle and a full bottle of water also came with us but more for amusement …. I mean research purposes)

our sardine impression - crammed in and descending

Johan gave us his dive computer to take along – in a punnet of water.  We were able to watch the effective depth.
Once we reached 40m, we could open the air lock to the main part of the chamber.  Well Steve could – I tried to turn the handle the opposite way.

It all looks very serious - but its not. Rachael is in tears, Deralie is giggling and Steve's voice is squeaking

Much hilarity followed when we reached our maximum depth for the dive – Johan’s dive computer was reading 40.3 meters.
The pressure constricts your vocal chords and your voice sounds squeaky.  The  pressure also affects your ears so things sound a whole lot different.
I’m sure that the team outside the chamber thought we sounded normal – albeit idiots!

I took a couple of narcosis tests with me – things I use on a dive with my students.
Writing your name backwards on the surface and then comparing it to underwater.  Also a page with numbers 1 – 18 in random circles and you need to touch your nose and then the numbers .. in order.

Here’s the sheet that came with us.

Tests and quotes from the dive

Janina said she’d give $50 to the person that could whistle.  Mal immediately replied with “where are you going to get $50″  I think that might have been what set Rachael off for the rest of the dive.  Tears of laughter I tell you.

Deralie was so very very sure that she had got her name right … as you can see from above – theres a bit of a mistake.

I’m not too sure what was happening with Mal’s surname .. he took writing your name backwards to a whole new level with his R’s.

Giggles

While we were in the chamber and on ‘our way back up’, Janina gave us a great tour inside the chamber and talked us through their services.

It really is a fantastic service and I appreciate the time that the team took to show us around and safely narc us out of our heads!
We are lucky enough in Auckland to have two chambers with the other based at the Devonport Naval Hospital which is where most diving emergencies are sent first of all.  And where us Instructors (and other occupational divers) need to have our regular medical checks completed.

still giggling - exiting Nemo

For Diving Emergencies;

Diver Emergency Services
0800 4 DES 111, or 0800 4 337 111

This is a 24 hour, 7 days a week Diver Emergency Service for advice and treatment of all diving related incidents, accidents or injuries, including the emergency management of Decompression Sickness.

NZ Diving Hotline
0508 HYPERBARIC, or 0508 497372

Diving First Aid

1. A – B – C’s
2. Lie person down
3. Give 100% OXYGEN
4. Call for help