IWR (In Water Recompression)

[Greenwood_60]

Attempting "In Water Recompression" carries risks. It is currently considered riskier than a ride to a chamber in Florida. Assuming not receiving any recompression treatment is worse than attempting IWR, and considering the deteriorating availability of recompression facilities, at what point is IWR a better option?

There is a point where IWR becomes the safest option. It is a treatment option that could be within our control as a community.

For those who've never heard of it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-water_recompression

"Diving and Decompression Sickness Treatment Practices Among Hawaii's Diving Fishermen": http://nsgl.gso.uri.edu/hawau/hawaut86001.pdf

[LiteHedded]

it works

[tbone1004]

it works.... for most divers on this forum, a case of the bends will likely be due to an intentionally blown deco stop due to some unforseen emergency or some other situation where you know you're going to get bent when you come up. At that point I would prefer to grab an extra O2 bottle and preferably a 50/50 bottle are whatever is available, zip down to 50-60 feet and meander back up than drive however long to a chamber, take however long to get to depth and sit there for 8 hours. Gets the bubbles gone faster, works fine, and saves a lot of paperwork. If you come up and don't think you should be bent, but are bent, then going to a chamber may be a better idea and you should probably drop your GF a bit....

[PfcAJ]

it works.... for most divers on this forum, a case of the bends will likely be due to an intentionally blown deco stop due to some unforseen emergency or some other situation where you know you're going to get bent when you come up.

I know a few guys who have been bent (some on this forum) and none of them have ever got bent because they intentionally blew off a stop.

Where do you get this stuff from?

[tbone1004]

I know a few as well and that's why the last sentence said if you don't think you should be bent, but are, probably best to go to a chamber. Most of the people that I've been around when they've gotten bent, myself included, were during ocean rescues where surface kicks or blown deco stops resulted in a mild case of the bends that was fixed by going back down and completing extended deco stops IW.

Most of the ones that I know that have gotten bent in caves were doing pretty aggressive deco profiles, mindeco etc, and in that case, chamber is still probably the best answer. I figure most people on here are following computer decompression, and most I know are using GF 30/70 some 30/80, and with those profiles the odds of getting bent are pretty minimal, there are outliers obviously and individuals that get bent for weird and strange reasons, but I've seen more cases of DCS due to blown deco stops for whatever reason and overexertion than I have from following profiles and random incidences.

[OFG-1]

Where do you get this stuff from?

The same place that Brain got his "it works" statement.

IWR may work on certain people, on certain days, with mild symptoms. If you have a CNS hit, with the chokes or convulsions, I hope you are not stupid enough to drag that poor bastard back underwater. Just shoot them and get it over. Its risky, and if you follow one of the "accepted" tables, it requires a metric ass load of gas.

[LiteHedded]

The same place that Brain got his "it works" statement.

IWR may work on certain people, on certain days, with mild symptoms. If you have a CNS hit, with the chokes or convulsions, I hope you are not stupid enough to drag that poor bastard back underwater. Just shoot them and get it over. Its risky, and if you follow one of the "accepted" tables, it requires a metric ass load of gas.

well if you dont drown in the process it works

[OFG-1]

well if you dont drown in the process it works

"Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?"

[Andreas]

These days it seems more and more important to describe what one means by "in-water recompression". I have noticed that chamber operators and some diving physicians that do not keep up-to-date with today's diving community seem to assume that IWR is done on air or nitrox. This seems to be a little different than just going back down on your oxygen for some "more deco". Many of us that get the occasional niggles after pushing our deco a bit simply get back in the water on the remaining Oxygen for maybe another 20 minutes at 20' and simply refer to it as "more deco". Should we call this IWR and talk about it like is the same thing as using air and some of the official IWR tables? I'm not so sure that will make this discussion very productive.

[TONY CHANEY]

"Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?"

"Now that there is funny, I don't care who you are."