I would like to address the article written by Tom Lloyd regarding hospitals upgrading their wound care facilities. I think it’s great, but they are de-commissioning hyperbaric chambers formerly used to treat divers suffering from decompression illness and other injuries. I have just had this experience myself.
I was expecting to be transferred from IRMC to Sebastian as they have a chamber there that treated divers, but unfortunately learned that it was decommissioned for wound care use only. I had to endure a long painful transport to St. Mary’s Hospital in West Palm Beach.
And to now hear that there was a chamber at the original hospital I was at (IRMC) and I couldn’t be treated upsets me. I was in really bad shape with Decompression Sickness Type 2. Some diving accidents can lead to death if not corrected with hyperbaric therapy and oxygen as soon as possible.
From entering the hospital, it took over 11 hours to get me into a chamber. There are over 500 chambers in America and less than 3% treat divers according to DAN (Divers Alert Network).
This saddens me as diving accidents are a life or death situation more so than wound care.
Signed,
Kimberly Ricciardone
Vero Beach