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Objective: The objective of the study was to compare pulmonary function tests results of hyperbaric chamber inside attendants (HCIAs) working in a hyperbaric chamber before and after sessions. Methods: A total of 68 health care personnel working as HCIAs in the hyperbaric oxygen therapy unit between June 2019 and September 2019 were included in the study. All participants experienced the pressure chamber for the first time. In spirometric evaluation, we measured forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume at one second (FEV1), forced expiratory flow at 25%-75% of FVC (FEF25-75) and peak expiratory flow (PEF). In addition, FEV1/FVC ratio (FEV1%) was also calculated. Results: The mean ..

Background: Clinicians often rely on measurement of carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) to confirm or rule out a diagnosis of carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Methods: We report two cases of false negative COHb in patients with CO poisoning and one case of false positive COHb in a patient without CO poisoning. Results: In the first case, a 20-year-old male developed headache, confusion, and near-syncope while operating a gasoline-powered pressure washer in an enclosed space. In the emergency department (ED), his COHb was 1.8%, but this level was disregarded, and he was referred for hyperbaric oxygen. His COHb just before hyperbaric oxygen was 4.1%, and ..

Objectives: This is the first nationwide survey to obtain baseline information on the clinical application of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) therapy in China. The findings provide a reference for future management and policy formulation research. Methods: This questionnaire-based survey was implemented using an online survey tool. The survey assessed six aspects related to HBO2 practice: characteristics of institutions, departments/units, chambers, practitioners, treatment capacity, and scientific research. Results: Subjects were 1,924 institutions (2,699 HBO2 chambers and 11,266 practitioners) from 31 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in mainland China. The findings showed that most institutions (86.9%) were public hospitals and 70.0% of chambers were ..

Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) therapy is a UHMS-approved treatment for radiation cystitis and has been used for other causes of cystitis such as cyclophosphamide-induced hemorrhagic cystitis and interstitial cystitis, among others. Immunotherapy with Bacillus Calmette-Gu.rin (BCG) is the most effective treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. BCG acts as a non-specific stimulant of the reticuloendothelial system, causing a local inflammatory response. BCG attaches to bladder tumor cells as well as urothelial cells which then stimulates an immune response involving a multitude of cytokines and local migration of polymorphonuclear cells that leads to death of the cancer cells. The typical protocol ..

Purpose: Diving in warm water increases thermal risk during exercise compared to thermoneutral waters. The purpose of this study was to evaluate exercise endurance in warm- and hot-water conditions in divers habituated to wet or dry heat. Methods: Nineteen male divers completed this study at the Navy Experimental Diving Unit. Subjects were assigned DRY or WET heat habituation groups. The DRY group (n=9) cycled at 125-150W for one hour in a non-immersed condition (34.4˚C, 50%RH), while the WET group (n=10) cycled at 50W for one hour while immersed in 34.4˚C water. Exercise time to exhaustion was tested on an underwater ..

Inert gas bubbles in tissues and in blood have been historically considered as the only triggering factors for DCS, but now many other factors are considered to affect the final outcome of a decompression profile for a certain individual. In this sense, inflammation seems to play a relevant role, not only due to the physical damage of tissues by the bubbles, but as a potentiator of the process as a whole. The present study aims to put forward a mathematical model of bubble formation associated with an inflammatory process related to decompression. The model comprises four state-variables (inert gas ..

Introduction: This case report describes an initially overlooked Type II decompression sickness (DCS) occurrence that was confused with a cerebral vascular accident in a patient with chronic atrial fibrillation (AF). The purpose of this case report is to reinforce the maxim that DCS needs to be suspected anytime a scuba diver experiences signs or symptoms compatible with DCS after completing a scuba dive. Methods: A 71-year-old scuba diver with a history of AF and who was taking warfarin made four dives, all with maximum depths less than 60 fsw (20 msw) over a 10-hour interval. Shoulder pain developed before entering ..

Acute traumatic ischemias are an array of disorders that range from crush injuries to compartment syndromes, from burns to frostbite and from threatened flaps to compromised reimplantations. Two unifying components common to these conditions are a history of trauma be it physical, thermal, or surgical coupled with ischemia to the traumatized tissues. Their pathophysiology resolves around the self-perpetuating cycle of edema and ischemia, and their severity represents a spectrum from mild, almost non-existent, to tissue death. Since ischemia is a fundamental component of the traumatic ischemias and hypoxia is a consequence of ischemia, hyperbaric oxygen is a logical intervention ..

Letter to the editors 10.22462/03.04.2022.9

ASM 2022 Abstracts Part II 10.22462/03.04.2022.10

Obituary: David H. Elliott 10.22462/03.04.2022.11

Crossings - Obituaries: An editorial note 10.22462/03.04.2022.12