[ROB DAVIE]

WELCOME!

I would like to welcome our members to our new Dive Medicine forum, and introduce myself.

I am trained as Diver Medic Technician (DMT). It is a position created by the realities of the "oil patch". It turned out, in practice, to be hard to lure physicians out to the rigs for any length of time. On the other hand, the men who work out there still had medical needs, hence the position of DMT.

A DMT is a paramedic with added training in decompression theory and practice, and in chamber operation. In the "patch" they serve as the eyes and ears and hands of the Chief Medical Officer, who will be a physician on-shore.

At times, the DMO may have to operate the chamber, or operate in the chamber, working at the direction of the company physician on the sat-phone.

So, in short, I am not a physician, but I do have some experience in the combination of medicine and diving. Even better, I have contacts who are physicians and reaearchers in the field. I will be issuing invitations to those men and women to solicit their aid.

We may not have an instant answer to questions, but we have ways of getting the question to the right person to get that answer.

So again, welcome!

Sincerely,

Rob Davie

P.S.--You will get the best possible advice we can make available but IN ABSOLUTELY NO CASE should you or anyone construe this as a DIAGNOSIS.

In ALL cases, if you believe you have a diving related problem, call DAN's Emergency Hotline at 1.919.684.4326 (emergency-collect 24/7), or get in touch with the nearest Hyperbaric Medicine Center or, failing that, call local emergency medical services BUT have someone with diving knowledge who can stay with you. THIS LAST IS VERY IMPORTANT.

[schford]

Rob

I would like to thank you for coming up with this idea for a forum and offering your time.

I think it will be of great benefit to us all.

Many thanks and have some green.

Stuart

[Helium_diver]

Hi Rob,


I think this is a great idea. As someone who has taken a ride in the chamber for a classified undiserved hit. I think it is improtant to keep the lines of comunication open. We can all possibly learn something Good or bad. I do understand that this is for any dive related malady and not just dcs.
Helium_diver

[h2ophotopro]

Rob this looks like a great forum. I think keeping divers well informed and healthy is great. We want to keep our sport as safe as possible.

[surgeondress]

Rob,

Excellent forum idea!!! As you know, I just joined this site recently and it is exceptionally thorough.

As far as my background goes, I am an active duty Air Force general surgeon and plastic/reconstructive surgeon with a keen interest in diving. Diving physiology has been my keenest interest and hobby for 20 years. I hope to complete the Navy's dive medical officer (aka "bubblehead") course in Panama City, FL within the next year. Until then, I don't pretend to have the answers to any of your questions, but I do know where to find them and how to put some of those cryptic explanations into laymen's and diver's terms.

Rob is absolutely right though...It is improper and unethical to render a diagnosis or treatment advice without examining someone myself in a clinic/hospital setting. Therefore, I can only provide information about a topic, NOT diagnoses or therapies. Always seek the help of a licensed medical professional for your serious health concerns.
There's an old adage that goes "the physician who treats himself has an idiot for a patient."

Thanks again for opening this forum. I look forward to some exciting and stimulating discussions.

chris dress
future Optima diver (now when is the delivery date???)