O2 Admin on suspected 'Bend' Patient?

[MATTBIN]

I recall recently I read that some times it was not a good idea to give Oxygen as it masked the onset of a hit and could result in a wrong diagnosis, is this correct? I'm not sure if it related to <100% or 100% oxygen though, can somebody clarify this for me please.
Matt

[Dr Stevil]

For a diving casualty of any kind,whether DCI or barotrauma,  O2 can only do good. Barotrauma symptoms are  usually apparent immediately, but are likely to be followed by at least some DCI symptoms too. If someone is going to develop symtoms of DCI or (the latter are ) then administering O2 at the earliest opportunity should go some way to decreasing the severity of the symptoms.

Say Matt, are you going to do the BSAC O2 Admin course or did you arrange to do the PADI one at Stoney with the chap from here (I've gone blank on his name) who offered to run it cheap?
Chee-az
Steve

[MATTBIN]

Steve
it was Kev that offered his services to do one at Soney but it all went quiet.
I am sure I read somewhere that Oxygen admin wasnt a good idea sometimes. I'll have to try and find that link. It might be where somebody isnt showing signs/symptoms but it is thought that could be affected - maybe a rapid ascent with no visible signs. I'll dig around.
Matt

[And]

In any Diving related incident you should administer oxygen whether this is DCI, AGE or near drowning. The only reason you wouldn't is if they have had an oxygen toxicity hit. I suppose that you could possibly confuse DCI with an O2 hit although it should be obvious from the type of diving they have been doing and the gasses used. It is also possible to have an O2 hit and DCI I suppose and this would mean that you would still administer oxygen. If they convulse, let them breathe air until the convulsing stops, then if the DCI symptoms worsen, go back to oxygen.

HTH

WL

[daz]

I think the standard advice is to administer O2 in all diving related incidents.  Even if someone has had an O2 tox hit, administering O2 on the surface should not cause any worsening of the condition.  The fitting due to an O2 tox hit is not a problem per se, I believe it is the spitting the reg out that is not condusive to good health.

As higher % of O2 as possible is the recommended procedure and if all you have is EAN36 then it is better than air.

Daz

[John Gulliver]

In agreement with what Daz, says, I was also taught on the CNAS basic nitrox course that you should give O2 even to someone who has suffered an O2 oxygen hit. As I understand it, giving O2 on the surface will not exacerbate the victim's condition and may do good.

[Dr Stevil]

THis is a common topic O2 admin and Ox tox: the last "verdict" I heard was that it's ok to administer O2 to a non-fitting ox tox casualty, naturally you'd stop temporarily if they had another fit but it's not considered a great liklihood.
Also, diving O2 administrators are not qualified to gicve O2 to non-diving  casualties due to conditions such as emphysema which could be exaccerbated by O2, however these folk would be excluded from diving so it's not a factor for diving O2 administrators to worry about.

Matt, if you find the link to info about not giving O2 for XXX reason I'd be curious to see it, but in the meantime I was taught (and taught to teach others) that giving O2 to a diving casualty can do no harm (fitting ox tox proviso)and can only do good.
Chee-az
Steve

[Phill]

Matt, oxygen must not be administered to anyone with a restrictive airway disease, (as it will probably kill them),anyone with such a disease will not have passed any form of diving medical - but there's a lot of self certification out there. The main problem with oxy is that a lot of people seem to suck it, the problem goes away, and they think they're cured. Any relapse following oxygen administration will always be more severe - but by then the casualty could be many miles away from the rest of the group. The other problem is that any case of DCI, no matter how mild, has caused some degree of permanent damage to the carcass. All the chambers are now seeing more cases of patients who have had multiple cases of DCI with steadily increasing severity but who have never gone to a pot previously. We're quite good at this diver repair lark but we ain't miracle workers. :angel:

[Phil Ennis]

As far as an OX tox cns hit is concerned this is caused by breathing high partial pressures of 02. At the surface this is obviously not a concern, get them plumbed in to 100% if possible.
As Phill stated you must not administer 02 to anyone suffering from restricted airway disease but very unlikely you would encounter this with divers.
Beware administering on your way home when you come across an incident and want to help.

[John Gulliver]

"Beware administering on your way home when you come across an incident and want to help."
Please explain, Phil.