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| Title: | ACCIDENTS DURING TRIMIX RECREATIVE DIVES. FIRST CONSIDERING ELEMENTS. |
| Authors: | Bergmann, E
Pontier, JM |
| Keywords: | decompression
helium
heliox
decompression
hyperbaric
neurological
DCS
DCI
trimix
accident analysis |
| Issue Date: | 2005 |
| Abstract: | BACKGROUND: Ternary mixture sport diving (Trimix: oxygen, nitrogen, helium) began approximately five years ago. Initially limited in use to isolated teams, the application of this technique is rapidly expanding (i.e. to technical and leisure diving). MATERIALS AND METHODS: On the Mediterranean littoral, no accidents using this type of gas mixture have been reported by the Hyperbaric Centers of Ajaccio, Perpignan, Marseilles or Nice. Only the Centers of the Department (VAr) had experience with Trimix-induced decompression sickness (DCS). We present a series of twelve Trimix DCS cases treated between 2000 and 2004 at the Hyperbaric Centers of Toulon Ste Anne (6 cases) and Font-Pre (6 cases). RESULTS: These 12 observations included only male divers between 22-50 years old, with diving competencies ranging from Level III to MF1 (first grade instructor) or the equivalent. Ten dives were on a shipwreck: 98 meters for 13 +/- 5 minutes with a decompression time of 75 minutes; the other two dives were to a depth of 81 and 93 meters, respectively. Except in one case, symptom onset occurred between 9 and 20 minutes after exiting the water. Three vestibular and nine osteo-arthro-muscular DCS accidents were diagnosed. No neurological DCS (medullary or cerebral) was found in this series. The oxygen treatment tables A15 (2,5 ATA - 70 min.) or B18 (2,8 ATA - 150 min.) were used at HIA Ste Anne. For the Font-Pre Hospital, a table similar to US Navy Treatment Table 5 (2,8 ATA - 130 min.) was used. Seven patients profited from oxygen hyperbaric treatment to 2,5 ATA, with complete cure occurring regardless of DCS type. CONCLUSION: In the current absence of established consensus, we propose the use of 2.8 ATA oxygen treatment tables (preferably B18 or US Navy TT5) for Type I and vestibular DCS. For neurological DCS, we apply deeper, super-oxygenated tables (4 ATA) using Heliox 50/50 (B30 or Cx30). These protocols remain to be validated by hyperbaric medical societies. |
| Description: | Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society, Inc. (http://www.uhms.org ) |
| URI: | http://archive.rubicon-foundation.org/1714 |
| Appears in Collections: | Undesignated Accident and Fatality Reports
UHMS Meeting Abstracts
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