Abstract
IntroductionHyperbaric chambers and underwater environments are challenging and at risk of serious accidents. Personnel aiming to assist patients and subjects should be appropriately trained, and several courses have been established all over the world. In healthcare, simulation is an effective learning technique. However, there have been few peer-reviewed articles published in the medical literature describing its use in diving and hyperbaric medicine.MethodsWe implemented the curriculum of the Master’s degree in hyperbaric and diving medicine held at the University of Padova with emergency medicine seminars created by the faculty and validated by external experts. These seminars integrated traditional lectures and eight in situ simulation scenarios.ResultsFor the hyperbaric medicine seminar, simulations were carried out inside a real hyperbaric chamber at the ATIP Hyperbaric Treatment Centre, only using air and reproducing compression noise without pressurization to avoid damages to the manikins. The four scenarios consisted of hyperoxic seizures, pneumothorax, hypoglycemia, and sudden cardiac arrest. Furthermore, we added a hands-on session to instruct participants to prepare an intubated patient undergoing hyperbaric oxygen treatment with a checklist and simulating the patient transfer inside and outside the hyperbaric chamber. The diving medicine seminar was held at the Y-40 The Deep Joy pool in Montegrotto Terme (Italy), also involving SCUBA/breath-hold diving (BHD) instructors to rescue subjects from the water. These diving medicine scenarios consisted of neurologic syndrome (“taravana/samba”) in BHD, drowning of a breath-hold diver, pulmonary barotrauma in BHD, and decompression illness in a SCUBA diver.ConclusionWith this experience, we report the integration of simulation in the curriculum of a teaching course in diving and hyperbaric medicine. Future studies should be performed to investigate learning advantages, concept retention, and satisfaction of participants.
Highlights
Hyperbaric chambers and underwater environments are challenging and at risk of serious accidents
We describe the introduction of simulation in the curriculum of a Master’s degree course in diving and hyperbaric medicine, providing detailed scenarios along with the available literature to guide actions for the most frequent diseases encountered
In the 2019–2020 edition, we introduced two seminars on emergency medicine cases in diving and hyperbaric medicine, respectively
Summary
Hyperbaric chambers and underwater environments are challenging and at risk of serious accidents. Diving and hyperbaric medicine concerns human adaptations and diseases arising in hyperbaric chambers or below the water surface. Several features characterize both settings, and the understanding of physiological responses is fundamental to prevent and treat pathologies developing in such unusual conditions. Healthcare and technical personnel aiming to assist patients and subjects should be adequately trained, with a strong background in accident prevention and acute response to inherent complications
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
