Theoretical tissue compartment inert gas pressures during a deep dive with and without deep decompression stops: a case analysis.

Background: Deep decompression stops are increasingly common in recreational technical diving. Concerns exist that they shift decompression stress back into slower tissues. A diver recorded an exceptional exposure dive, with deeps stops, on a commercially available dive computer.

Hyperbaric oxygen is effective in early stage of healing of experimental brain abscess in rats.

Objectives: Current therapy of brain abscess (BA) includes a combined approach that involves antibiotics and minimal invasive surgery, but also hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) as a supportive measure. Optimum treatment is still a matter of significant controversy.

Methods: The experiment, previously approved by a relevant ethical committee, involved 80 female Wistar rats.

Death of a scuba diver caused by vomiting and panic: a case report.

Scuba diving fatalities are rare and sometimes extremely difficult to explain. A thorough forensic investigation, conducted by a qualified team, helps avoid possible later questions and doubts, family concerns and judicial matters, since a significant body of evidence is lost after the body of the victim is buried or the equipment is reused. We report about a death of a scuba diver who was drowned while diving to the depth of 30 meters.

Croatian indications for hyperbaric oxygenation: doubts of the world projected in a small country.

The recently issued "Croatian List of Indications for Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment" (HBO2T) includes indications from the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society List of Indications and the European Consensus List of Indication for Hyperbaric Oxygen, but also several considered by many as "off-label." Now approved by Croatian national health authorities, these indications are no longer "off-label" in Croatia. This represents a real controversy, confronting administrative vs.

[Beliefs of Croatian surgeons and internists on hyperbaric oxygenation--a preliminary report].

Background/introduction: Hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) has been accepted in many countries as a method of treatment in selected indications, but in Croatia it is still perceived with skepticism.

Objective: To determine beliefs, knowledge, and possible experience of Croatian surgeons and internists with HBO.

Subjects And Methods: An anonymous questionnaire was applied to test surgeons (N=56; 45%) and internists (N=68; 55%), employed in general hospitals in Zadar, Sibenik, Split, and Dubrovnik, Republic of Croatia.

Effects of voluntary fluid intake deprivation on mental and psychomotor performance.

Aim: To assess if there is deterioration in mental and psychomotor performance during 24-hour voluntary fluid intake deprivation.

Methods: A battery of computer generated psychological tests (Complex Reactionmeter Drenovac-series) was applied to 10 subjects to test light signal position discrimination, short-term memory, simple visual orientation, simple arithmetics, and complex motor coordination. We measured total test solving time, minimum (best) single task solving time, total ballast time, and total number of errors.

[Helicopter transport of patients from Croatian Adriatic Islands and coastal area in the period from 1996 to 2002].

For most of the Croatian Adriatic islands and coastal area, helicopter is the fastest, and for some remote areas the only effective way of patient transport. In Croatia, most of the aeromedical transports are performed by helicopters of 95th Air Force Base. During the post-war period, the number of civilian patients transported with those helicopters increased from 56 in 1996 to 311 in 2002, this trend continuing in 2003.

Change of occurance of type 1 and type 2 decompression sickness of divers treated at the Croatian Naval Medical Institute in the period from 1967 to 2000.

A significant change of occurrence (p=0.0343) of type 1 and type 2 decompression sickness (DCS) of divers in Croatia was observed in the period from 1991 to 2002 (type 1: n=26, 37.68% and type 2: n=43, 62.

Aerobic exercise before diving reduces venous gas bubble formation in humans.

We have previously shown in a rat model that a single bout of high-intensity aerobic exercise 20 h before a simulated dive reduces bubble formation and after the dive protects from lethal decompression sickness. The present study investigated the importance of these findings in man. Twelve healthy male divers were compressed in a hyperbaric chamber to 280 kPa at a rate of 100 kPa min(-1) breathing air and remaining at pressure for 80 min.

Esophagotracheal fistula after lithium disc battery ingestion successfully treated with hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

We report a case of a 12-month-old child who acquired an esophagotracheal fistula of 5 mm in diameter after an ingested lithium disc battery impaction. Failure to recognize foreign body on chest X-rays resulted in a delay of 28 days in establishing the diagnosis. Feeding via nasogastric tube and hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) resulted in a complete closure of the fistula after 17 HBOT 60 min sessions at 2.

[Hyperbaric medicine in Croatia: an example of ethics on probation].

Hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) has been existing in the Republic of Croatia for over 30 years, but still carries a burden of many problems: scientific, professional, legal, economical, and ethical. Discussed are ethical aspects dealing with HBO in Croatia, based on the following statements and questions: Croatian doctors have very limited knowledge of HBO; its efficacy in the treatment of many different diseases is in Croatia viewed with skepticism; are there other medical priorities that should be developed as a priority in the country after the war; what controlled, prospective, double blind, clinical studies support the use of HBO; is it a method of high risk; do we need to repeat studies on HBO efficacy already done elsewhere; and how to make Croatian legislation and human rights compatible in this matter.

Differential diagnostic problems of decompression sickness--examples from specialist physicians' practices in diving medicine.

It can be expected that the differential diagnosis problem of decompression sickness will increase in the future due to the increasing number of divers. During the last 30 years, 232 divers were treated for decompression sickness (DCS) at the Naval Medical Institute (NMI) in Split, Croatia. In 66 cases (28%), physicians at various diving sites reached diagnosis with difficulty, and 86 divers (37%) came directly to the NMI without seeing a physician first.

[Gas gangrene and hyperbaric oxygenation--a lesson forgotten or never learned?].

Gas gangrene develops in devitalized hypoxic tissue. It spreads rapidly under strong influence of enzymes produced by the causing bacteria and often results in fatal outcome. It is of utmost importance to stop toxin production as soon as possible, which is most effectively achieved by early application of hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO2), as the first measure in a "trident" (HBO2, antibiotics, surgical measures).

Gastric rupture in a diver due to rapid ascent.

A 37-year-old, experienced female diver developed gastric rupture due to rapid ascent from a depth of 37 meters. The incident was preceded by a heavy meal, intake of soda beverages, swallowing of air and water under water, and panic. Sharp abdominal pain was present immediately after surfacing and afterwards.