Calling All Bent Divers

[Humber Coastguard]

My experience of dealing with incidents involving Decompression Sickness over the last couple of years leads me to the conclusion that these incidents are mainly caused by one of the following reasons:

1. DSMB – The diver is unable to deploy the DSMB correctly and makes a rapid ascent.

2. Drysuit – The diver is unable to dump air fast enough, often due to being too heavily weighted and makes a rapid ascent.

3. Out of air – The diver runs out of air and has to make a rapid ascent.

4. Missed stop - Due to one of the above reasons the diver is unable to make a decompression stop.


There are of course some cases where the diver has followed a normal dive profile and still suffered from DCS.

So that we have better information for our accident prevention initiatives and as a safety guide to other divers - what was the cause of your bend? Was it one of the above reasons or something different?

Are there any lessons to be learnt from your experience?

[Lynne]

My doctor felt the main cause of mine was exercise between and after dives, althought there were other contributory factors too

[greekbird]

well, it's not my bend(s) but the reasons you stated pretty much cover the incidents that have happened to people i know.

PFO to 2 divers

New kit in a deep dive (twin 7s and wing, the diver was unfamiliar with, run out of air, got entangled in his buddy's dmsb, they both had a rapid ascent and where treated in DDRC...nightmare) Advice: familiarise your self with your kit before you jump in to 35m!

Narcosis and new drysuit resulted in diver hitting the surface with burst lungs. Treated in DDRC.

HTH

[nigelH]

Originally Posted by Humber Coastguard

4. Missed stop - Due to one of the above reasons the diver is unable to make a decompression stop.

That's a bit of a catch-all isn't it? If they do all their stops they are not so likely to get bent.

I think you want to add Dehydration.
That always seems to crop up when people start talking about undeserved bends.

[John Touhig]

Originally Posted by nigelH

I think you want to add Dehydration.
That always seems to crop up when people start talking about undeserved bends.

I had an undeserved type 2 bend earlier this year. Probable cause dehydration.

[wreckweasel]

Interesting observations. No major suprises though.

The data is already collected and published annually, that makes for a slightly more comprehensive report.

http://www.bdsg.org

[NotDeadYet]

Which bend

1. A day of repetitive diving in cold water, seven 40min+ dives, 15-30m with sawtooth profiles on each dive. Suffered a wrist bend. Resolved on O2

2. Playing at spitfires after two 2.5hr dives. Exactly the same place as No.1, resolved after nine bottles of Mexican beer

3. 90m dive on OC, trying out early version of VPM table on quite an agrressive profile. Elbow pain, resolved on O2.

4. 90m dive on OC, almost exactly a year after, treatment in pot this time. Dive went exactly to plan but a lot of exertion to get in the water.

[Hellvet]

Originally Posted by Humber Coastguard

1. DSMB – The diver is unable to deploy the DSMB correctly and makes a rapid ascent.

Let go of it you fools - an SMB isn't worth getting bent over!

Originally Posted by Humber Coastguard

2. Drysuit – The diver is unable to dump air fast enough, often due to being too heavily weighted and makes a rapid ascent.

see i knew i was still in a semi dry for a reason!

Originally Posted by Humber Coastguard

3. Out of air – The diver runs out of air and has to make a rapid ascent.

thats just poor planning and air monitoring

Originally Posted by Humber Coastguard

There are of course some cases where the diver has followed a normal dive profile and still suffered from DCS.

yes - try me and 2 of my club members in the last 2y! and 2 of us in the last 8months - we've not had any other dive incidents or bends other than this since like forever!

Originally Posted by Humber Coastguard

[font=Arial][size=3][font=Arial][size=3]So that we have better information for our accident prevention initiatives and as a safety guide to other divers - what was the cause of your bend? Was it one of the above reasons or something different?

myself and one other have pfo's and have had it fixed - the other has been told he has a pfo, but is waiting for tests to confirm, and possibly surgery.

Originally Posted by Humber Coastguard

Are there any lessons to be learnt from your experience?

1) that the only way not to end up bent is not to go diving! (well thats not gonna happen!)
2) any post dive symptom should be checked by a hyperbaric doctor
3) write everything down (symptoms, treatment, any changes, times, etc)
4) put any suspect bends onto 100% o2 (or as rich a mix as is available!)asap

[Alan]

You have raised something which I have many concerns about but first my Bends:

I reckon I have had bends ranging from tiredness to the chamber on about 20+ occassions. Why, because I did'nt realize I had a PFO?

First Chamber incident: CESAR PADI training

2nd and 3rd: Uncontrolled ascents (due to failed equipment failure)

All pointing to sensitivity to pressure change and was later diagnosed to have a PFO!

But I have a particular gripe with DSMBs and the subject of using them. I have in the last year crossed over to BSAC, and have previousily trained with PADI and TDI.

Neither of which follow the protocol of using DSMBs. Its apparent from my limited BSAC experience that they are widely used by BSAC.

I personally think they are dangerous and should only be used on DECO stops, at limited depths.

I have seen them lead to dangerous situations and would call into question their usefulness over the inherent risks. I am happy to debate the issue with anyone on this forum, no matter what their experience.

I personally find them dangerous and am not suprised that they have been flaged as a cause for bends. O and PFOs, well thats another matter, but another time.

[wreckweasel]

Sorry, but thats utterly the wrong conclusion.

If you arent trained to operate a BCD and it takes you to the surface does that mean its a bad bit of kit? What about a drysuit?

DSMB use can be included as an optional part in a PADI course (most people do it on advanced). Bag deployment is part of IANTD advanced nitrox.... and I teach it on our combined TDI adv nx/deco proc.

Lets not throw out the baby with the bathwater.

As for the risk balance, have you tried diving around any busy wreck at the weekend. Goto weymouth in the summer and try the M2, or the Kyarra out of swanage. Bends are fixable, being on the receiving end of a prop, or even a few ton of moving boat isnt so easily fixable.

/Zak