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portable hyperbaric chamber
- Thread starterThomasB
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
, There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
A great starter concept for a diving related unit?
These ones would be useless for marine work, because they are designed only for providing compression for altitude sickness patients. To reduce cost & weight, they are pumped manually, and can only provide 2 lb. increased pressure.
Hyperbaric Treatment
2 lb corresponds to approximately 0.7 metres of water depth, not nearly enough for a useful compression effect for divers.
Having said that, there have been some significant improvements on the design over Gamov's original, and perhaps a portable unit could be designed that could give you some useful level of compression while the patient is transported to a regular decompression facility. Say 10 Bar?
These ones would be useless for marine work, because they are designed only for providing compression for altitude sickness patients. To reduce cost & weight, they are pumped manually, and can only provide 2 lb. increased pressure.
Hyperbaric Treatment
2 lb corresponds to approximately 0.7 metres of water depth, not nearly enough for a useful compression effect for divers.
Having said that, there have been some significant improvements on the design over Gamov's original, and perhaps a portable unit could be designed that could give you some useful level of compression while the patient is transported to a regular decompression facility. Say 10 Bar?
My fault, I thought you could get a bit more pressure in there. The improve idea sounds good too, with a different pump and some other material maybe, I'm no expert by the way.
Well, a 10 bar portable hyperbaric chamber would be probably a rather heavy and expensive piece of equipment, but I don't see why 10 bar would have to be needed at freediving. For the emergency recompression you rarely use the same pressure as was the maximal one during the dive, especially if the dive was as short as it is usual in freediving, and the diver was exposed to that pressure only briefely. You could potentially make the situation worse than it initially was.
The next problem of high pressure portable chambers is that, during the emergency evacuation it is quite likely that you may need to quickly open it to give some CPR or other emergency treatment to the victim. So unless you have a huge chamber where a trained personel including all necessary equipment enter and can stay with the victim, you do not want to use a too high pressure, because the eventual depressurizing of the chamber could make it all worse than it was.
Then, at protable chambers you usually do not use pumps, but fill them from scuba tanks, which is much easier, cheaper, and quicker, and you can also use different gas mixes, or even pure oxygen (at lower pressures, of course).
There are plenty of portable chambers available, but for example this one looks pretty small, so that it can pack even on a smaller boat, and can be pressurized up to 5.1 bar:
Portable Decompression Chamber - FD1
The next problem of high pressure portable chambers is that, during the emergency evacuation it is quite likely that you may need to quickly open it to give some CPR or other emergency treatment to the victim. So unless you have a huge chamber where a trained personel including all necessary equipment enter and can stay with the victim, you do not want to use a too high pressure, because the eventual depressurizing of the chamber could make it all worse than it was.
Then, at protable chambers you usually do not use pumps, but fill them from scuba tanks, which is much easier, cheaper, and quicker, and you can also use different gas mixes, or even pure oxygen (at lower pressures, of course).
There are plenty of portable chambers available, but for example this one looks pretty small, so that it can pack even on a smaller boat, and can be pressurized up to 5.1 bar:
Portable Decompression Chamber - FD1
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Thank you for the update, Trux!
You're right, 10 Bar would be overkill. 5 would be more than enough for every ordinary DCS case. In fact a simple chamber that would let you compress to the level of typical 1st decompression stops would be enough.
That link is very very interesting.
You're right, 10 Bar would be overkill. 5 would be more than enough for every ordinary DCS case. In fact a simple chamber that would let you compress to the level of typical 1st decompression stops would be enough.
That link is very very interesting.
"Gamow Bags" are for the treatment of Acute Mountain Sickness using AIR. They are not appropriate to treat DCI or Gas Embolism as they simply do not contain enough pressure. Working pressures for these units are 2 - 4 psig.
Also, without an oxygen source (i.e. breathing ambient air) you are adding NITROGEN to the tissues... Adding nitrogen (or more nitrogen) to such an injury is not beneficial.
High pressure Portable Hyperbaric Chambers exist and are not as heavy (about 80 pounds plus tanks) or costly as you might think. Every live-aboard, remote destination and expedition should have one. Theses units also serve to stabilize the patient for transport/air evac. 15 psig (2 ATA) is the minimum pressure required to field stabilize an injured diver. More pressure is required to run the most common re-compression schedules.
--
Laura H Betts, ANDI IT, HCO, CHT
HyperbaricsRx
Voice: 954.749.9998 | Toll Free: 877.589.9998 | Fax: 954.747.7526
Email: laurabetts@hyperbaricsrx.com | Site: HyperbaricsRx - Hyperbaric Chambers and HBOT Information
P.S. for those of you that have been wondering what I've been doing with 123scuba.com... We've expanded our Hyperbaric Division which is now our primary focus, thank you.
Also, without an oxygen source (i.e. breathing ambient air) you are adding NITROGEN to the tissues... Adding nitrogen (or more nitrogen) to such an injury is not beneficial.
High pressure Portable Hyperbaric Chambers exist and are not as heavy (about 80 pounds plus tanks) or costly as you might think. Every live-aboard, remote destination and expedition should have one. Theses units also serve to stabilize the patient for transport/air evac. 15 psig (2 ATA) is the minimum pressure required to field stabilize an injured diver. More pressure is required to run the most common re-compression schedules.
--
Laura H Betts, ANDI IT, HCO, CHT
HyperbaricsRx
Voice: 954.749.9998 | Toll Free: 877.589.9998 | Fax: 954.747.7526
Email: laurabetts@hyperbaricsrx.com | Site: HyperbaricsRx - Hyperbaric Chambers and HBOT Information
P.S. for those of you that have been wondering what I've been doing with 123scuba.com... We've expanded our Hyperbaric Division which is now our primary focus, thank you.
Thanks for posting, Laura. I checked you website but did not find any list of products, technical specifications or prices - when clicking the links Custom Products and Hard Chambers, only empty lists are shown. Is there a problem with the website, or you don't actually sell any chambers?
Do you offer something comparable in size and pressure (~5 bar) to the above mentioned FlexiDec foldable chamber? If yes, can you show us technical specifications, photos, and tell us the price?
Do you offer something comparable in size and pressure (~5 bar) to the above mentioned FlexiDec foldable chamber? If yes, can you show us technical specifications, photos, and tell us the price?
BTW, I looked up little bit more the FlexiDec chamber and it looks interesting. It comes in different sizes (i.e also for two persons), multiple chambers can be interconnected, and there alre also interlocks available, so that the diver can be medically treated.
Unfortunately the price makes the device pretty innaccessible for most freedivers - the barebone basic model costs close to 30k € (price from 2010)
Unfortunately the price makes the device pretty innaccessible for most freedivers - the barebone basic model costs close to 30k € (price from 2010)
Hi, in my limited understanding of DCS and the treatment thereof, I think the most important thing to remember is that rapid chamber treatment is not necessarily the most appropriate thing. A comment was made about being careful about small chambers and high pressures as it makes medical treatment more difficult. That is VERY true. I was lucky enough to attend a talk by Prof John Ross from Aberdeen on the latest trends in treatment of DCS. He was saying that they are moving away from the rush to throw everybody in a chamber, opting now for initial stabilization and appropriate care. It was also mentioned that there is a window of up to 6 hours for hyperbaric therapy.
Maybe we shouldn't be so keen to acquire a portable chamber, but should be looking at getting some really good emergency training including IV placement and respiratory support.
Just my two cents worth. I am however a big fan of gadgets, and a chamber does look impressive on the deck of a boat!
Maybe we shouldn't be so keen to acquire a portable chamber, but should be looking at getting some really good emergency training including IV placement and respiratory support.
Just my two cents worth. I am however a big fan of gadgets, and a chamber does look impressive on the deck of a boat!