DOCSLIB.ORG

Canterbury Underwater Club Inc. Newsletter

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Canterbury Underwater Club Inc. Newsletter July 2018 Canterbury Underwater Club Inc. Newsletter Canterbury Underwater Club PO Box 2287 Christchurch 8140 www.canterburyunderwater.org.nz Club Meeting Information June Meeting Summary The minutes from the June meeting can be found at the end of this newsletter. Next Meeting – Burnside Bowling Club, Tuesday 10th July Next club meeting will take place on Tuesday the 10th of July at Burnside Bowling Club - 330 Avonhead Road - by Burnside Park. Please arrive at 7:30pm, the meeting will start at 8pm. Trips and Events Please make sure you check the website for trips and events! General Information Dive Insurance The Divers Alert Network (DAN) is your scuba diving safety association. DAN provides protection for scuba divers with Worldwide Emergency Evacuation Coverage (with your DAN Membership) and optional Dive Injury Insurance Plans, for chamber and hospital costs following a covered diving accident. Joining DAN (Membership and Dive Injury Insurance) gives you peace of mind. It allows you to enjoy your scuba diving knowing you will be looked after in the event of a diving incident, wherever you are in the world, 24-hours a day, 7 days a week. Why DAN? With 30+ years’ experience helping sick and injured scuba divers worldwide, DAN are the experts in diving accident management. Visit http://www.danap.org/ for more information. NZ Recreational Fishing Council Thank you to all the clubs and individual members for your continued support – we look forward to working on your behalf to address the management of our shared fisheries. We welcome your membership applications for 2018. Memberships now open click this link to join. Visit our updated website www.recfish.co.nz for more updates and news. We also now have a Facebook page to encourage dialogue with members throughout the country. Margaret Wind, Executive Officer You can join the NZRFC mailing list using this sign up form. Recipe Fish with pangrattato and creamy mushrooms Ingredients Pangrattato ½ loaf Bread, Country style, crusts removed ½ Lemon, finely grated zest 2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped 2 Tbsp Olive oil 1 Tbsp Thyme leaves, freshly chopped Creamy mushrooms 25g Butter 1 Tbsp Olive oil 500g Mushrooms, wiped clean with damp kitchen paper 150ml Cream 1 Tbsp Chopped parsley Fish 25g Butter 4 fillets White fish, boned Method To make the pangrattato, heat the oven to 180C. Break up the bread and place in a food processor. Process until you have medium fine breadcrumbs, then transfer to a shallow baking dish. Add the lemon zest, garlic and oil and toss well to combine. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and toss through the thyme leaves. To make the creamy mushrooms, heat a heavy-based saucepan or frying pan over a medium heat. Add the butter and oil and when the butter is sizzling, the mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes until the mushrooms are golden. Increase the heat, add the cream and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook until syrupy and then add the chopped parsley. For the fish, heat a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the butter and when it is sizzling, place in the fish fillets. Cook fish for about 4-6 minutes, turning once. (Cooking time will depend on the thickness of your fish fillets.) Divide the creamy mushrooms between 4 warmed plates. Place a fillet of fish on each plate and sprinkle over the pangrattato. Serve with a side of steamed greens. Dive Equipment Information How a Scuba Diving Regulator's Second Stage Works By Floyd Devine, Sport Diver Magazine Second Stage of a Scuba Diving Regulator Have you ever wondered how regulators make it possible for scuba divers to breathe pressurized air underwater? Well, here's an illustrated explanation on half the equation: how a scuba diving regulator's second stage works. We’ve come a long way since the early 1940s when Jacques Cousteau and Emile Gagnan co-invented the Aqua-Lung, an underwater regulator modified from Gagnan’s demand regulator that fed cooking gas to a car’s carburetor in the exact amount needed. Remarkably, today’s regulators rely on the same design principles used by Cousteau and Gagnan. You cannot breathe directly out of your tank because the high pressure would damage your lungs. Just like the Aqua-Lung, today’s second stages take pressurized air from the first stage and provide it to a diver at ambient pressure, allowing him or her to breathe normally underwater. Through the use of precision manufacturing, high tech materials and intensive testing, modern regulator design is efficient and reliable, and with proper maintenance and care, modern second stages will provide years of dependable operation. 1. The Parts Mouthpiece, housing, cover incorporating a purge valve, flexible silicone diaphragm to separate the external water from the housing, demand valve assembly, demand lever and exhaust valve. 2. How It Works Air from the first stage enters the second stage housing through an inlet fitting. At the inlet, an orifice with a circular “knife edge” provides a sealing surface for the main valve assembly. This assembly consists of a poppet with a hard-rubber seat at one end, a bias spring and the valve body. The bias spring applies pressure on the poppet, pressing the seat against the edge of the orifice and creating an airtight seal. The demand lever is attached to the valve body and compresses the bias spring to pull the poppet away from the orifice, allowing air to flow into the valve. As you inhale, pressure in the second stage is reduced and the diaphragm is pushed inward by the surrounding water pressure. The diaphragm then pushes on the demand lever, opening the valve. With the valve open, air then enters the second stage through an opening in the valve housing until it equalizes with the surrounding water pressure, making it possible for a diver to breathe air at ambient pressure. When the diver stops inhaling, pressure inside the second stage increases, causing the diaphragm to relax and release the demand lever, closing the valve. As the diver exhales, air is expelled through the exhaust valves. The design of the second stage keeps ambient pressure in the housing at the same pressure as the surrounding water, ensuring that the reg enables consistent breathing effort regardless of conditions and depth. 3. Additional Features Many regs have cracking pressure adjustment knobs, Venturi adjustment controls, and a balancing chamber in the demand valve. In a balanced second stage, a balancing chamber is added to the end of a modified poppet with a drilled-out center chamber and a hollowed-out seat. When a balanced second stage valve is closed, air travels through the opening in the seat and poppet into the balance chamber, pushing the poppet back against the orifice. This means a lighter bias spring can be used and less effort is required to open the valve. A cracking pressure adjustment manually changes the tension on the bias spring to increase or decrease the amount of effort required to open the valve, and the Venturi adjustment moves a rotating vane to direct air flow toward or away from the diver’s mouth. Both features potentially reduce breathing effort and aid in managing freeflows. Safety Section How to avoid the most common ear-related dive injuries By Divers Alert Network (DAN) Part of what makes diving so compelling is that it’s not always easy. In general we all agree that the benefits far outweigh the risks, but it’s important to recognize that some injuries do occur more often than we’d like. Ear injuries are chief among these; in fact, they represent the single most common type of injury that divers face. The good news is that while common, ear injuries are rarely serious, and they’re easy to prevent. Learn to recognize the most common ear injuries and how to prevent them before they happen to you. Barotrauma Barotraumas are injuries caused by pressure differentials. In diving, the most notable pressure differentials are between the surrounding water and the air in divers’ middle ears (the spaces just inside the eardrums). Failing to equalize properly, diving with congestion and ascending or descending too rapidly can lead to compression or expansion of the air in the middle ears. The difference in pressure between this air and the water in the ear canal (on the outside of the eardrum) can push the eardrum beyond its safe limits — even to its breaking point. Common symptoms of barotrauma include a sensation of fluid or pressure in the ear, diminished hearing and pain. Most cases of barotrauma resolve with little or no intervention in a matter of days or weeks, but in extreme situations, such as when a diver experiencing equalization difficulty continues to descend without equalizing, the eardrum can rupture, which can allow incursion of water into the middle ear. This can lead to vertigo, significant pain and a high risk of infection. After experiencing a barotrauma, avoid diving until you have recovered completely. If the symptoms don’t subside in a few days, or you experience serious pain or protracted hearing loss, have a physician examine your ears for a perforated eardrum or other serious condition. Ear barotrauma can be avoided by never diving while congested, equalizing early and often, and aborting a dive if equalization is impossible. Swimmer’s Ear Otitis externa, or swimmer’s ear, is an infection of the ear canal that’s fairly common in swimmers and divers. It can cause inflammation and partial closure of the ear canal, and touching the outer ear may cause pain. The adage about an ounce of prevention rings true with this condition: Your ears retain moisture from submersion, and that moisture encourages bacteria growth that can lead to infection.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Dr Craig Challen SC OAM
    Dr Craig Challen SC OAM Australian of the Year 2019, Thai Cave Rescue Diver, Aviator and Keynote Speaker Dr Craig Challen was named Australian of the Year 2019 in recognition of his work to rescue 12 young soccer players and their coach from a flooded Thai cave in Chiang Rai, Thailand in July 2018. Craig is in high demand as a keynote speaker. He presents alone or in partnership with fellow cave rescue diver Dr Richard Harris. An internationally recognised diver, a former vet, CEO and keen aviator, Craig is able to tailor his presentations to suit the audience and is available for question and answer sessions. More about Dr Craig Challen: Craig was about to go on a caving holiday in the Nullarbor Plains, when he was called to help the rescue mission based on his technical expertise. Although he initially thought the rescue would be too difficult to accomplish, he played a leading role in the successful mission. Working 10 to 12 hours a day in extremely dangerous conditions, he repeatedly risked his life as the children were swum, one by one, through the dark and narrow flooded caves. Craig was awarded the Star of Courage for his unwavering and selfless bravery. In 2019 he was recognised as Australian of the Year for Western Australia. One of Australia’s leading technical divers, Craig is a member of the Wet Mules, a diving group that takes on some of the world’s deepest caves. After commencing cave diving in the 1990s he was an early adopter of closed-circuit mixed gas rebreathers.
    [Show full text]
  • Thai Cave Rescue Hero to Speak at Brisbane Conference
    XXXXXX DR CRAIG CHALLEN, a retired Perth veterinary surgeon and Australian technical diver and cave explorer, is THAI regarded as one of the best in the world. It was that reputation that led British diver Rick Stanton to call on CAVE Craig’s expertise to rescue the Thai football team from the Tham Luang RESCUE Cave, with his dive buddy and friend, anaesthetist Dr Richard (Harry) Harris. With around 20 years’ diving HERO TO experience, and a depth record (221 metres) to his credit, Craig and Harry were about to embark on another SPEAK AT cave diving adventure on the Nullarbor when the call came to help in the extraordinary rescue mission. BRISBANE The world held its collective breath while the life and death operation went into coordination mode as the CONFERENCE international team examined the best chance of rescue. Then came the rescue mode, and for a few days, Australian diver Dr Craig Challen, people everywhere hoped for a miracle that the boys would be saved. one of the heroes at the heart Not in living memory has there of the recent Thai cave rescue, been such a positive news experience as that which revealed the success will speak at next year’s Rotary of the mission, and the extraordinary Conference in Brisbane, Qld. courage and determination, guided by skill, that the team demonstrated throughout. Only when all the boys had been rescued did Craig and Harry leave the cave. Craig was a reluctant hero, but his attempts to avoid the media throng were overcome when the mission was successfully concluded, and all Australians shared an immense sense of pride in one of our own.
    [Show full text]
  • The Journal of the Australian Speleological Federation AUSTRALIA
    CAVES The Journal of the Australian Speleological Federation AUSTRALIA Scrubby Creek Cave Bendethera Caves Exploration of the Pearse Resurgence Armchair Caving No. 188 • MARCH 2012 Caves Australia No. 188 • March 2012 • Page 1 F COMING EVENTS S This list covers events of interest to anyone seriously interested in caves and karst. The list is just that: if you want further information the contact details for each event are included in the list for you to contact directly. A more extensive list was published in ESpeleo earlier this A year. The relevant websites and details of other international and regional events may be listed on the IUS website http:///www.uis-speleo. org/ or on the ASF website http://www.caves.org.au. For international events, the Chair of International Commission (Nicholas White, [email protected]) may have extra information. This list only covers events in 2011 and the first half of 2012. However, 2013 looks very busy with the next ASF Conference, TAGalong, in January at Galong NSW, the ACKMA Conference in May at Waitomo Caves, New Zealand and the international IUS congress in July at Brno, Czech Republic. We’ll keep you posted on these events in future Caves Australia issues 2012 June 25-29 September 13-15 NSS Convention in Greenbrier Valley, WV. For details see the MAYACON International Congress on Scientific Research in Show Caves, Skocjan 2012 website (http://www.nss2012.com/) Caves Park, Slovenia. The Congress will focus on scientific research in show August 5-10 caves. For details of the venue, program and costs check the Park Škocjanske International Geological Congress, Brisbane.
    [Show full text]
  • SATURDAY 1St DECEMBER 2018
    EUROTEK Conference Schedule - we’re proud to present an inspiring line up of talks and workshops presented by leading experts, cutting-edge explorers and diving legends SATURDAY 1st DECEMBER 2018 TIME THE HOUSE THE STUDIO THE DOOR THE SUITES 08:00 EUROTEK 2018 - Registration and Exhibition Opens 09:20 EUROTEK TEAM - Opening Address 09:30 RICHIE KOHLER PROF TINO BALESTRA EMILY TURTON MARTIN PARKER Monsters of the Abyss Narcosis & Preconditioning in Scapa 100 Staying in the loop The famous ‘Shadow Diver’ Diving: Latest Research A digital tour of the German High What lessons have - and, more on legendary sea monsters Discover the latest DAN research Seas Fleet sunk 100 years ago importantly, haven’t - been learnt and the identification of UB-85 into narcosis and the factors in the Orkney Islands. in the CCR industry. sunk off Scotland. that predispose its onset. Sponsored by BSAC W P W R 10:30 BREAK 11:00 DR TIMMY GAMBIN JP IMBERT CRAIG CHALLEN JASON BROWN The Phoenician Changing concepts in New Zealand’s Getting the shot - Advanced wreck project decompression Pearse Resurgence Lighting Techniques Deep archaeological discoveries Solving the mystery of pre- The complete exploration story Master off-camera lighting in and the oldest known shipwreck existing micro gas pockets in of New Zealand’s signature cave challenging conditions, working in the Mediterranean. decompression. pushed on the last expedition with models and how to get to a depth of 230m. published. W P C I 12:00 BREAK 12:30 KRZYSZTOF STARNAWSKI IMMI WALLEN DR DOUG EBERSOLE KEVIN GURR Deep Cave Exploration The Soviet Dunkirk Immersion Pulmonary Oedma Rebreather Canisters Extreme cave diving and the Exploring, documenting and Understanding this poorly A review of naval and other technology barriers to overcome researching the Tallinn evacuation understood and potentially research on rebreather canister the frontier of cave exploration.
    [Show full text]
  • Against-All-Odds-Extract-For-Better-Reading.Pdf
    CRAIG CHALLEN AND RICHARD HARRIS WITH ELLIS HENICAN against all odds 9781760890957_AgainstAllOdds_text_FINAL.indd 3 30/8/19 8:05 am Untitled-5 1 9/7/19 10:32 am Introduction ‘They’re All Going to Die’ Harry It was the mission we’d all been training for, a life-or-death rescue in remote northern Thailand, deep inside a flooded mountain cave. The whole world was watching. The chances were disturbingly slim. Anyone who knew anything about cave rescue had to recognise that. Thirteen young people were huddled in the chilly darkness, one monsoonal downpour from the end of their lives. And where was I? I was 7022 kilometres away, at my usual post in the operating theatre of Flinders Private Hospital in Adelaide, making sure a thyroid- ectomy patient didn’t wake up from her anaesthesia. I love being in theatre. But man! I’d never felt so far from the action in my life. Early that morning before work, a message had popped up on my phone. It was from the legendary British cave diver Rick Stanton, who had raced to the scene to help save the stranded members of the Wild Boars soccer team. ‘Could you sedate someone and dive them out?’ he wanted to know. 9781760890957_AgainstAllOdds_text_FINAL.indd 1 29/8/19 10:04 am 2 craig challen & richard harris Rick must be desperate, I thought. Or the pressure of the rescue has sent him round the bend. Otherwise, he’d never ask a question so absurd. Dive a sedated child underwater through the jagged maze of a dark, constricted cave? You’d kill the kid for sure.
    [Show full text]
  • 2018 September;48(3):132−140
    Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine The Journal of the South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society and the European Underwater and Baromedical Society Volume 48 No. 3 September 2018 Subclavian Doppler bubble monitoring Australian snorkelling and diving fatalities 2012 Inner ear barotrauma – a tool for diagnosis Which tooth restoration for divers? HBOT for large bowel anastomosis problems ISSN 2209-1491 (online); ISSN 1833-3516 (print) ABN 29 299 823 713 CONTENTS Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine Volume 48 No.3 September 2018 Editorials 198 Baltic Symposium on Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine 2018 129 The Editor’s offering Fiona Sharp 130 Decompression sickness, fatness and active hydrophobic spots Pieter Jan AM van Ooij Book review 199 Gas bubble dynamics in the human body Original articles John Fitz-Clarke 132 Reliability of venous gas embolism detection in the subclavian area for decompression stress assessment following scuba diving Julien Hugon, Asya Metelkina, Axel Barbaud, Ron Nishi, Fethi Bouak, SPUMS notices and news Jean-Eric Blatteau, Emmanuel Gempp 141 Provisional report on diving-related fatalities in Australian 201 ANZ Hyperbaric Medicine Group waters in 2011 Introductory Course in Diving John Lippmann, Chris Lawrence, Andrew Fock, Scott Jamieson and Hyperbaric Medicine 2019 168 Impact of various pressures on fracture resistance and 201 Australian and New Zealand microleakage of amalgam and composite restorations College of Anaesthetists Diving Elnaz Shafigh, Reza Fekrazad, Amir Reza Beglou and Hyperbaric Medicine Special 173 Meta-analysis
    [Show full text]
  • X-Ray Mag Issue #54 | May 2013
    Author / speaker Rod McDonald launched his latest book about the Force Z wrecks at OZTek.2013 (lower left). John Garvin presented a “behind the curtains” story of James Cameron’s successful “Deepsea Challenger” project tech talk (www.deepseachallenge.com). The filmmaker / explorer reached a depth of 10.9 km down in the Marianas Trench.(top right); A view of the 2013 OZTek Exhibtion (lower right) A LI RA T US LL-A Tales of ‘Daring Do’ RRA Text by Rosemary E Lunn Photos by Paul Morrall — And a Sobering Lesson from OZTek 2013 L MO PAU Although Facebook is a useful over 50 talks were held at Sydney’s © 2013 tool, it can never replace physi- Australian Technology Park, with del- egates sorely tempted by four halls of cal interaction with friends, col- concurrent talks—talks that covered so leagues and peers. Without a many aspects of diving, from technique, doubt there is a need for a regu- such as Stick maps to virtual cave div- lar gathering of the clans. Events ing: Instruments and techniques for con- structing maps, 3D images and even vir- like EUROTEK and OZTek serve tual cave models by John Dalla-Zuanna, a vital role drawing people in to exploration, such as Bermuda’s Deep from all over the globe, bringing Water Caves in which Professor Tom together briefly a good part of Iliffe talked about how this project is employing sonar, ROV’s and CCR divers the technical diving village, and to explore and document the island’s reinforcing the strong sense of extensive network of underwater pas- community we share.
    [Show full text]
  • October 2020 Newsletter
    SDFSA Newsletter – October 2020 SCUBA DIVERS FEDERATION OF SA, Inc. Email: [email protected] Web: https://sdfsa.net Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scubadivesa/ Join us for free! https://sdfsa.net/membership-categories/ Check out our new online Directory: Diving, Free Diving and Snorkelling Resources in South Australia In this month’s issue OUR LEAD STORY: Our new Directory of Resources .............................................................................. 2 IMPORTANT NOTICES ............................................................................................................................ 2 SDFSA COMMITTEE BUSINESS ............................................................................................................... 2 DIVING IN THE MEDIA… ......................................................................................................................... 3 CONGRATULATIONS TO… ...................................................................................................................... 3 2020 - 2021 EVENTS ............................................................................................................................... 3 STEVE’s HISTORY STORY: The Wreck of the Sanko Harvest ................................................................... 4 STEVE’S SCIENCE STORIES for the month .............................................................................................. 4 ABOUT THE SDFSA… .............................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Dr Richard Harris SC OAM
    JDC 2020 ON-DEMAND Meet the speaker: Dr Richard Harris SC OAM Australian anaesthetist and cave diver Dr Richard Harris SC OAM gained international notoriety after he played a crucial role in rescuing a junior football team from the Tham Luang Nang Non cave in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand. His previous cave diving experience combined with his expert medical knowledge, saw him advise, overlook and navigate the treacherous and dangerous conditions to save the lives of twelve young soccer players and their coach. Dr Harris and technical diver, veterinary surgeon and cave explorer Dr Craig Challen SC OAM, were jointly awarded the 2019 Australian of the Year for their work in rescuing the boys. Both men were awarded the Star of Courage (SC) and Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) by the Governor-General of Australia. The King of Thailand appointed Dr Harris as a Knight Grand Cross (First Class) of the Most Admirable Order of the Direkgunabhorn. Recipient of the 2019 Australian of the Year, Star of Courage and Medal of the Order of Australia awards Starting out, Dr Harris completed his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at Flinders University in 1988 and completed his anaesthetics training in the UK and New Zealand. His regular day job is as anaesthetist with particular interest in anaesthesia for breast and endocrine surgery, ENT Dr Harris has a professional and voluntary interest in search and acoustic neuroma surgery, upper GI surgery and endoscopy. and rescue operations, establishing the first sump rescue Dr Harris is also an aeromedical consultant and anaesthetist training course in Australasia.
    [Show full text]
  • Guidelines Issue145 Sept2018 40Pages
    C.D.A.A. Newsletter No. 147 - MARCH 2019 CAVE DIVERS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA (Incorporated in South Australia) Kilby’s Sinkhole - main diver is Jake Manser GUIDELINES PhotographedPhotographed byby GeoffreyGeoffrey WhitehornWhitehorn Print Post No. PP 100023987 GUIDELINES CONTACT LIST Please contact the most relevant person or, if unsure write to: CONTENTS C.D.A.A. P.O. Box 544 Mt Gambier SA 5291 www.cavedivers.com.au Editorial - Meggan Anderson 5 NATIONAL DIRECTOR - Peter Wolf Email: [email protected] Mobile: 0413 083 644 National Committee Updates 6-9 SCIENCE OFFICER – Ian Lewis Mobile: 0427 284 051 Email: [email protected] Site Access 28-29 MEDIA CONTACT - Peter Wolf Instructor List 30 Email: [email protected] Mobile: 0413 083 644 Risk Officer – Marc Saunders Mobile: 0412 956 325 Email: [email protected] Articles... Search & Rescue Officer - Richard Harris Email: [email protected] Mobile: 0417 177 830 OzTek 2019 Review & Schedule 10-14 Phil Croker 0423 393 347 STANDARDS DIRECTOR - Joseph Monks Mobile: 0409 792 480 Tank Cave Mapping - Adrian Richards & Ken Smith 14-19 Email: [email protected] Diving into Sinkhole Gin - Megan Anderson 22-23 Quality Control Officer – Joseph Monks Mobile: 0409 792 480 Email: [email protected] Cold Caves in Scandinavia - Oscar Svensson 24-27 Instructor Materials - Deb Williams Mob: 0419 882 800 Fax: 03 5986 3179 Email: [email protected] Parting Shots - S. Paakkarinen 31 BUSINESS DIRECTOR - Mary-Anne McLeod Mobile: 0401508838 Email: [email protected] CDAA Products - Damian Bishop - Mobile: 0433 345 743 Email: [email protected] Bookkeeper - Deb Williams Mob: 0419 882 800 Email: [email protected] SITE DIRECTOR – Kelvyn Ball Mobile: 0428 842 259 Email: [email protected] MAPPING OFFICER - Tim Payne Cover: Email: [email protected] Mobile: 0448 147 927 C.D.A.A.
    [Show full text]
  • Citation (PDF)
    Citation for the Award of the Degree of Doctor of the University honoris causa Dr Richard Harris SC OAM (BMBS ’89) Joint Australian of the Year 2019 Dr Richard Harris (Harry) is a specialist anaesthetist who completed his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at Flinders University in 1988. Dr Harris joined the Specialist Anaesthetic Services (SAS) practice in 1998 after completing his anaesthesia training in the UK, Adelaide and New Zealand. He has particular interest in anaesthesia for breast and endocrine surgery, ENT and acoustic neuroma surgery, upper GI surgery and endoscopy. He has worked in a variety of critical care and retrieval environments in Australia, the UK, Vanuatu and New Zealand. Dr Harris started working with SAAS MedSTAR in 2012 and he is currently the medical lead for the SA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force. Dr Harris’ medical interests have a broader base. He has managed to combine his taste for adventure with his medical practice and a lifelong interest in the underwater world. This led him into the field of diving and hyperbaric medicine. His work at South Australia’s emergency medical retrieval service (MedSTAR) as an aeromedical consultant continues to challenge him with the care of critically ill patients in remote and austere environments. He has worked with AusAID in the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu for two years providing anaesthesia and intensive care services in the setting of a developing medical system. In his spare time he can usually be found exploring underwater caves, a passion he has pursued for over thirty years.
    [Show full text]
  • Mitchell SJ. Diving and Hyperbaric
    Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine Volume 50 No. 2 June 2020 90 Editorial Diving and hyperbaric medicine in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic The world is living through a tragic and historic event. It studies.5–8 Study primary end points include: incidence of is difficult to overstate (or even appreciate) the scale of intubation,5 mortality,6 effect on oxygen requirement,7 and 8 medical, social and economic upheaval wrought by the PO2/FiO2 ratios and immunological responses. SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) pandemic, and few would expect the fabric of life to return to normal any time soon. One consequence of the pandemic for all clinical hyperbaric units is the challenge of maintaining a service for patients The fields of diving medicine and hyperbaric medicine stand with the usual indications for HBOT amidst lock-downs, to be impacted in multiple ways, not least because hyperbaric patient reluctance to interface with medical services for oxygen treatment (HBOT) appeals as an intuitively obvious fear of infection, and inevitable uncertainties around patient means of improving oxygenation in a disease process Covid-19 status even in the absence of symptoms. Many where hypoxia is a prominent and sometimes fatal feature. patients at high risk of poor outcomes if infected (elderly There would be few HBOT providers who have not fielded or co-morbid patients) are treated at hyperbaric units, and it questions about providing treatment for Covid-19 patients. follows that high levels of attention to social distancing, staff and patient personal protective equipment, and equipment There is little doubt that hypoxia in a critically ill Covid-19 and environmental hygiene must be maintained.
    [Show full text]