Once recompression therapy is started, it should be completed according to the
procedures in this chapter unless the diver being treated dies or unless continuing
the treatment would place the chamber occupants in mortal danger.
Death During Treatment. If it appears that the diver being treated has died, a qualified
medical personnel shall be consulted before the treatment is aborted. If this is
done, then the tenders may be decompressed by completing the treatment table, by
following the air decompression schedule (as modified below), or contact NEDU
or NDSTC for decompression procedures for the total time since treatment began
and the maximum depth attained. The shortest procedure should be used. The
exception is Treatment Table 7; the appropriate abort procedure for Table 7 is
discussed in paragraph 21-5.4.5.12..
Oxygen Breathing Periods During Abort Procedure. The air decompression
schedule used in recompression treatment aborts is modified by having all
chamber occupants begin breathing oxygen as soon as a depth of 30 feet or shallower
is reached. Oxygen-breathing periods of 25 minutes on oxygen, followed by
5 minutes on air, are continued until the total time on oxygen is one-half or more
of the total decompression time. This procedure may be used even if gases other
than air (i.e., nitrogen-oxygen or helium-oxygen mixtures) were breathed during
treatment. Upon surfacing, chamber occupants are treated as if they had surfaced
from a normal dive.
Impending Natural Disasters or Mechanical Failures. Impending natural disasters
or mechanical failures may require aborting treatments. For instance, the ship
where the chamber is located may be in imminent danger of sinking or a fire or
explosion may have severely damaged the chamber system to such an extent that
completing the treatment is impossible. In these cases, the abort procedure described above could be used for all chamber occupants (including the stricken
diver) if time is available. If time is not available, the following may be done:
1. If deeper than 60 feet, go immediately to 60
feet.
2. Once the chamber is 60 feet or shallower, put all chamber
occupants on continuous 100 percent oxygen.
3. Follow as much of the air decompression schedule (for maximum
depth and total time) as possible, breathing 100 percent oxygen
continuously.
4. When no more time is available, bring all chamber occupants to the
surface(try not to exceed 10 feet per minute) and keep them on 100 percent
oxygen during evacuation, if possible.
5. Immediately evacuate all chamber occupants to the nearest
recompression facility and treat according to Figure 21-4. If no symptoms
occurred after
the treatment was aborted, follow Treatment Table 6.
