Article in T&A

[andy2tanx]

Now this is interesting.  Bradford bulls player Robbie Paul fractured his arm recently.  To facilitate his speedy recovery he has been receiving treatment in a hyperbaric chamber at the West Yorkshire Multiple Sclerosis Centre in Rawdon, Leeds every weekday.

He is compressed down to 10 metres where he sits in comfort reading a novel.  

Watch this space, I am gonna try and get in touch with the chamber and see what they have to say...

[Dr Stevil]

Wazzup Andy, you got an injury too ?  If it's the application of HBO to non-diving injuries that has grabbed your attention,  you might be interested to check some of these HBO research.  
A Podiatrist (new name for a chiropodist) friend of mine was recently studying the case of a guy with diabetic ulcers of the lower limb, very, very,  nasty indeed, his leg was saved from amputation by HBO therapy. Cool eh?

Steve

[parahandy]

That's a new use of a chamber i'd never heard of Andy.
Knew about them using chambers for treating MS suffers and those suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Before we all make a note of the nearest "hospital based" Hyperbaric chamber in our area just in case  Some that they use for these therapies i'm led to believe aren't suitable for treating divers, ie they can't blow ya down to the required pressure or they arn't geared up to supporting long sessions.

[andy2tanx]

...which is why we all need to get down to our nearest chamber and find out for ourselves whether or not the chamber is a viable option for us.

The lady who runs this one has told me she would be more than willing for it to be used for DCI treatment.  It can be pressurised to 20m and isn't just a box, its a big one with seating and various other benefits.

Not only that but she is desperate to learn to dive, so this could turn out very fruitful for us in West Yorkshire.

Watch this space...

[Mdemon]

What are the "other benefits" Andy?  A nurse, perhaps?  

Time to find a female buddy...

[John Gulliver]

At least here in Sweden, divers are a tiny minority of patients treated in hyperbaric chambers. We can count our lucky stars that there are other, larger, groups that benefit from hyperbaric treatment as otherwise there would be far fewer chambers and we'd have to travel long distances for treatment. The politicians wouldn't be willing to allocate huge sums of money just so that the occasional recreational diver with DCI could be treated.

[daz]

OK I am by no stretch of the imagination an expert on this,  but I have also read reports of injuries being treated using HBO therapy.

Something to do with elevated levels of O2 and the benfits to the site of the injury.

Daz

[Hyperbaric]

<font color='#0000FF'>

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]...which is why we all need to get down to our nearest chamber and find out for ourselves whether or not the chamber is a viable option for us.

This has been discussed before - the only phone number you need is 999 (coastguard). They can liase with the appropriate chamber or nominated hyperbaric consultant. The only two other phone numbers worth noting in the UK are: (01224) 681818 in Scotland and (07831) 151523 elsewhere - these are the numbers for the on-call hyperbaric consultants.

Gathering info on nearest chambers, etc, is pointless. The hyperbaric consultant will know not only which chambers are available to take patients (i.e. the ones that are in service and are not already occupied) but also which is the most *appropriate* chamber (i.e. the nearest available one with the required level of medical support for the diver's condition).

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]The lady who runs this one has told me she would be more than willing for it to be used for DCI treatment.  It can be pressurised to 20m and isn't just a box, its a big one with seating and various other benefits.

So long as she is, or has, a medical practitioner with training in dive medicine and can provide cover 24/7

www.hyperchamber.com/decompression_illness has info on referring a diver, first aid, etc.

www.hyperchamber.com/elective_hbo_therapy/ has info on one elective use of HBO.

[Doug Parker]

My mum went in the pot at DDRC for diabetic ulcers ages before i went in it with a bend. &nbsp;Once they had got rid of the initial bend on the Sunday evening i had to go back twice a day for the next week for more treatments, i was the only patient out of the eight in the pot who was diving related. &nbsp;The rest were normal people being treated for everything from chemotherapy repair, diabetic problems to lung problems. &nbsp;I was considered to be a freak because the reason i was in there was self inflicted.

[Adrian Kelland]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Hyperbaric @ July 26 2003,18:34)]This has been discussed before - the only phone number you need is 999 (coastguard).

The coastguard route is even more important if you are on a boat, and a VHF radio. Knowing the phone no of your nearest chamber will not help. Only the Coastguard can request a helicopter, the chambers cannot.

However it is useful to have the phone nos for those post dive issues on the way home etc.

Adrian