Diving Hyperb Med
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Patient ventilators for use in the hyperbaric chamber need to be of special design; any malfunction could have disastrous consequences. We report two serious problems with a recently purchased Siaretron 1000 Iper™ ventilator. ⋯ These problems may cause serious diagnostic and clinical consequences if not identified as equipment malfunction issues. A malfunction of the integrated memory in the microchip on the main board was said to cause the PCV malfunction. The manufacturer replaced the main board, which corrected the problem. The solution offered for the VCV problem was to change FiO2 in steps of 0.1 per breath, which eliminates the tidal volume surges. We feel it is extremely important that all users of the Siaretron 1000 Iper™ are made aware of these problems as they are not described in the user manual or elsewhere.
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The following is a synopsis of the German Diving Accident Guidelines, which may be found on www.gtuem.org in German and English. It is the second revision of a guideline initially published in 2002. The first version was reviewed in 2005 and then revised and updated in 2008. ⋯ An independent international steering committee (jury) at the conference created the final document. This is the first version published in both English and German. The extensive reference list used in preparing this document is available on the GTÜM website.
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Resuscitation or airway control of an unconscious diver in a diving bell (DB) or deck decompression chamber (DDC) is difficult. Although the laryngeal mask airway (cLMA) has been recommended by the Diving Medical Advisory Committee, it is associated with many problems in a DB or DDC because of its cuff. ⋯ This small study showed that diver medical technicians (DMTs) preferred the i-gel to the cLMA because it lacked a cuff and was easier to insert from any position. The i-gel is therefore recommended for use in resuscitation in a DB or DDC.