Need for recompression chambers

[a64pilot]

Part of my point is maybe one of the diving organizations could come up with a contact card in plastic having the names, addresses and telephone numbers, operating hours etc. for the existing chambers, or maybe us guy's here could? Maybe even just a "sticky" here that could be kept updated?
While I do not plan on ever being bent, it seems prudent to have a plan on where to go, who to call besides just relying on calling DAN. Not having a plan in place prior to commencing the dive is sort of against the cave diving philosophy of having a back-up for everything?

[diveconjeff]

Maybe time to start boning up on IWR....

I mean really, I agree we ought to know what the treatment options are before entering the water right? It makes no sense to delay treatment bouncing from one facility to another does it?

Just throwing it out there to see what bites.... Food for thought, whatever...

If treatment is going to be delayed/unavailable what's the better option?

Certainly I am not advocating this be undertaken lightly, but is it a tool we should consider for the toolbox?

[Greenwood_60]

This is an interesting read. I'm sure many have read it before, but I figure it's worth posting in this discussion.

http://nsgl.gso.uri.edu/hawau/hawaut86001.pdf

[barney00]

Our good friends at Rubicon Foundation updated the Wikipedia page for IWR with good info and links to pubs...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-water_recompression

Cheers,
Mike

[a64pilot]

As long as the symptoms are minor, I can't see why not IWR, but I'm no Doc, much less a diving Doc, just an ignorant redneck. I do know for some reason if you start talking about IWR around those that are medical professionals etc., they have a tendency to get upset, like you were suggesting something really bad. I can only assume that they are thinking about being badly bent, not slightly bent?
Of course I have never been bent, so I cannot even speak from experience. I assume if you have the symptoms and are still geared up, your bent pretty badly and should be going to a real diving Doc and a chamber, and if you experience the symptoms later, your probably not in a position for IWR anyway?

[diveconjeff]

THey might also be concerned about someone doing IWR for something that is not DCS related...

"I have this shooting pain in my left arm..."

[jj1987]

As long as the symptoms are minor, I can't see why not IWR, but I'm no Doc, much less a diving Doc, just an ignorant redneck. I do know for some reason if you start talking about IWR around those that are medical professionals etc., they have a tendency to get upset, like you were suggesting something really bad. I can only assume that they are thinking about being badly bent, not slightly bent?
Of course I have never been bent, so I cannot even speak from experience. I assume if you have the symptoms and are still geared up, your bent pretty badly and should be going to a real diving Doc and a chamber, and if you experience the symptoms later, your probably not in a position for IWR anyway?

If you're only slightly bent, is it really worth getting back in and risking an ox tox? Plus, often times someone thinks they're slightly bent and symptoms progress rapidly with time.

[kwinter]

If you're only slightly bent, is it really worth getting back in and risking an ox tox? Plus, often times someone thinks they're slightly bent and symptoms progress rapidly with time.

It all depends on options. If transport or treatment are going to be delayed, IWR is a good option if you know what you're doing. And rule #1 in my book is to be attended at all times. Going in the water to do IWR by yourself is insane. So that means there are 2 brains that have to agree it's a good idea. That sanity check reduces the risk considerably.

[Sludge]

a contact card in plastic having the names, addresses and telephone numbers, operating hours etc. for the existing chambers

Anyone remember NASDS? There was a space on the pre-dive page of your logbook to put the address and phone number of the nearest operating chamber. (We were told to ask around and confirm the info was up to date.)

[a64pilot]

Yeah, I'm sure this has all been done before, I think a lot of it is us newbies re-discovering forgotten information.
I'm not so sure I would sign up for IWR, unless I had the equipment (unlikely) and a buddy who knew what they were doing, (probably even less likely). Now if there was NO chamber available, like I was in the South Pacific or something, then that of course is different.
IWR is sort of a last resort for me.