411 Dive Log Australasia April 2025

Why Doesn’t DAN Share Hyperbaric Chamber Information? DAN frequently consults on the care, transportation and hyperbaric treatment of injured divers. However, DAN does not generally provide information about the location or availability of chambers. This is because injured divers with suspected decompression illness (DCI) need to be evaluated at a hospital or emergency clinic first. Divers have driven past health care facilities to get to a recompression chamber, believing a chamber was the solution for just about any malady or injury. Even when divers surface with symptoms of an apparent arterial gas embolism, the best course of action is to have the diver assessed at the closest medical facility. An urgent care clinic or a hospital’s emergency department is better than a dedicated chamber facility. Recompression Treatment The best option for an injured diver is always to use the best locally available medical services. A differential diagnosis comes first. Not everything that can happen to a diver warrants hyperbaric treatment. A physician needs to rule out illnesses such as heart attack and other neurological and musculoskeletal injuries that could be confused with decompression illness. Advanced diagnostic procedures will rule out complications (such as a collapsed lung) and other additional factors that could make recompression therapy inappropriate or dangerous. A physician needs to make sure the patient can withstand recompression therapy. Chamber Capabilities Not all hyperbaric facilities can deal with all cases. The closest recompression chamber might not be the most appropriate. A chamber’s operational status can change. Chambers may close for scheduled maintenance or staff holiday’s or may have limited staff available because of a high daytime patient load. The chamber you are driving to may not be available. Prior notification from an evaluating facility is usually necessary to begin the call-in procedure to staff a hyperbaric treatment. Most hyperbaric facilities have regular daytime business hours and are not staffed in the 58 Dive Log Australasia #411 April 25 www.divelog.net.au