DEPTH Blog

For some accidents there is a "smoking gun". However, most accidents are caused by a combination of factors, each of which contributes in some manner. Often these factors accumulate over some period of time preceeding the accident. This chapter addresses the factors that foster conditions under which accidents are more likely to happen and discusses some of the steps to be taken to avoid them. Also included is a case history illustrating several of the factors. 

There are two distinct aspects to the field of hyperbaric medicine that influence safety: 

Celebrate Earth Day with BestKids Club

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Alese Pechter, an icon of the scuba diving industry, has left a legacy of love, joy, and constant wonder at the world around her. 

We had entered a dense fog bank! I had a rather helpless feeling, as a boy of 18, guiding 2,300 tons of steel into the unknown at ten knots, with no way of notifying anyone. Fortunately after a few minutes, which seemed like an eternity, the mate returned to the bridge. Flipping on the radar on the port side of the wheelhouse, he remarked, "Looks like we've got a bit of thick weather." He stepped out on the bridge wing and blew his police whistle to alert Kalle Holm, my watch partner. Kalle immediately stuck his head over the top of the bridge ladder and was ordered to the bow to stand lookout. 

When the radar had warmed up, the mate said, "Looks like we've got another ship out there. Give her five degrees starboard."

I heard the ship's bell strike three times . . . It was the other ship's bow lookout and we were directly in his path! I saw a huge bow as high as our wheelhouse loom out of the fog!"

The above is just one of the hair-raising experiences described by Dr. Kindwall as he writes of his time in the merchant marines, and via Yale and Harvard, running a safe-house for the CIA, submarine school, patrol on an early Polaris nuclear submarine, and work with "sandhogs" in compressed air tunnel construction. 

Find more details here about the book, "Unexpected Odyssey, From Merchant Sailor to Hyperbaric Physician" by Eric P. Kindwall, MD

In many hospitals that treat hyperbaric patients, the task at hand is getting the infection control policy makers to understand that many of the hospital-based disinfectants cannot safely be used on the acrylics of both multiplace and monoplace chambers. The most-asked question is, “What can now be used to disinfect acrylic chambers?” With the increasing concern over nosocomial infections and the possible effect they have on patient outcomes, keeping the hyperbaric chamber infection free is a major concern for all. On page 274 of Hyperbaric Facility Safety: A Practical Guide, 2nd Edition you can find the most current list of disinfectants that can used on the acrylic portion on both multiplace and monoplace chambers, and the products that have been identified acceptable for use on acrylic hyperbaric chambers for infection control.

Although the incidence of clostridial myonecrosis infections has dropped precipitously in recent decades, it always remins a threat in injuries where contamination and severe tissue disruption have occurred. The decreased incidence of clostridial myonecrosis is attributed to the increased diligence of clinicians in preventing clostridial organisms from proliferating. This has been realized through the immediate initiation of antibiotics in open injuries, the use of prophylactic antibiotics in surveries, and the appreciation of the value of meticulous debridements in injuries where amssive contamination (e.g., farm-related), severe trauma to tissues (e.g., combat-related), and tissue death from hypoxia have occurred. 

Carbon monoxide exposed patients commonly present with nonspecific symptoms that mimic influenza-like illnesses (Table 1). Symptoms typically include headache, dizziness, nausea, vomting, weakness, and fatigue. The most common symptom reports is headache.

Dr. Michael Strauss received the inaugural Best Publishing Company Lifetime Achievement Award on Thursday, June 28, 2018. The award was presented during the UHMS Annual Scientific Meeting in Orlando, Florida.

Dan Orr, author of Scuba Diving Safety, recently returned from a trip to Antarctica. He shared these two videos for BestKids Club members to enjoy.

Recently Alese Pechter, author of Skyward Bound attended the BookExpo in New York City, NY. BookExpo is the largest trade book show in the USA. She was promoting her recently released children's book, Skyward Bound. While at the show, Alese had the good fortune of meeting and spending time with world famous author Mary Higgins Clark who was also at the show promoting her new book. 

Dan Orr is no stranger to shark diving. In 2008 he took his first shark dive trip to Guadalupe Island, Mexico, and Dan was instantly hooked.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill profoundly influenced my work, compelling me to create An American Immersion. After completing such an endeavor, the ever present question is what’s next? Its answer evolves with every new adventure. I just returned from Indonesia, and before I could complete my articles, I embarked on discovery in St. Croix.

Photo Caption: The decompression chamber aboard the USS Dixon where David Scalia suffered his third cardio-respiratory arrest. Dr. Greg Adkission successfully resuscitated David and remained with him in the chamber for 12 hours.

Photo Caption: Author Dan Orr participates in the Grand Teton National Park Winter EMS Refresher giving lectures on diving safety. As part of the refresher, Dan presented a copy of his book, Scuba Diving Safety, to the GTNP EMS Group for their library.

"Every time I submerge, a feeling of excitement and exploration fills me."