Spinal Cord Injury Doesn’t Limit the Will to Dive: Paralyzed Veteran Takes on Unlikely Challenge

Cory Dubose, DOIn the world of SCUBA diving, there is a lot involved in order to make a safe and successful dive. Extensive preparation is required to facilitate a safe and successful dive including evaluation and overview of equipment, traveling to the dive site, safely getting into the water, navigating in the underwater environment, avoiding dangers during the dive, monitoring gauges and dive computer, returning to the dive boat, and getting off the boat and traveling back home. Many certified SCUBA divers are able to complete these tasks and take it for granted.

There is another group of SCUBA divers who have the same passion for the sport, but certainly consider all of the tasks involved from a much different perspective. This group can be classified as adaptive divers. 

From the Chair

Bruce Derrick, MD, FACEPSection Updates
2017 is proving a busy year so far. Since our resolution for ACEP support in advocacy of 24/7 chambers passed at the Council meeting this past October, the section leadership has been involved in monthly meetings (often more frequently) involving the leadership from the UHMS, the UHMS “24/7 Committee”, and Divers Alert Network in an effort to solve this issue. Multiple ideas have been brought to the table, and while none seem to be a perfect solution, there is vast support for this initiative in an effort to provide timely access to care. We expect to have additional updates by the Scientific Assembly in October. This will also be a topic of discussion at the ACEP UHM Section meeting at the UHMS SA this June. More on that meeting to follow.

Spotlight on a New Podcast for Hyperbaric Medicine!

Dr. Joe Walter has been developing a new podcast for hyperbaric medicine in conjunction with Hennepin County Medical Center’s Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Fellowship. It is designed to bring the world of hyperbaric and undersea medicine to acute care providers and those interested in dive medicine.

Check it out at the following sites: Website, RSS Feed, Twitter, iTunes

Section Meeting at ACEP17

Mark your calendars for our annual section meeting at ACEP17 in Washington, DC.

Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Section Meeting
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
9:00 AM - 11:30 AM

View the full listing of section meetings at ACEP17.   

Register for ACEP17 by September 29 and save $100.

A Case of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Leading to NSTEMI

Drue Orwig, DOCarbon monoxide exposure is one of the most frequent poisonings in the world. Its symptoms may be as subtle as headache and nausea in mild cases to rapidly lethal in a significant exposure. Additionally, the diagnosis can be difficult to make, especially in mild cases, as the carboxyhemoglobin level may be normal by the time the patient is evaluated in the emergency department (ED). ACEP recently changed its guidelines on diagnosing and treating carbon monoxide poisoning. Notably, the guidelines recommend adding an EKG and troponin levels to identify acute myocardial injury, which can predict poor outcome (level B evidence). This modification may help to more accurately capture severe poisonings in need of hyperbaric oxygen therapy. In this review, I present a case of carbon monoxide poisoning which exemplifies important markers of severity. 

Upcoming Events in Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine!!

Stephen Hendriksen, MDThere is a lot going on. Don’t forget to attend the ACEP UHM Section Meeting on Thursday, June 29th, at 11:00 am in Mangrove E, if you are at the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society’s Annual Scientific Meeting this June. Additionally, there are many regional, national, and international meetings that might pique your interest. Below are just a few:

Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) Annual Scientific Meeting
June 29–July 1, 2017
Naples, Florida

UHMS 2017 Gulf Coast Chapter Meeting
August 25-26, 2017
Clearwater, Florida

UHMS 2017 Midwest Chapter Meeting
September 16–17, 2017
St. Louis, Missouri

Please Submit Articles to the ACEP UHM Section Newsletter

The newsletter is accepting submissions for interesting case reports, editorials, updates, and news in the world of diving and hyperbaric medicine. Please send all submissions to Stephen Hendriksen.