>There are many reasons why a diver might lose consciousness underwater. It may result from a lack of oxygen (hypoxia), a medical emergency such as a heart attack, an excess of carbon dioxide (hypercapnia) or an excess of oxygen (oxygen toxicity). One thing these situations have in common is the need to get the diver out of the water and into the hands of qualified medical professionals as quickly as possible.
>The now defunct YMCA Scuba Program had requested guidance following new recommendations that appeared in the 2005 American Heart Association's Emergency Cardiac Care standards, which emphasized compressions during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Confusion was arising during courses and training drills about the administration of ventilations (rescue breaths) while on the surface with a victim. The scope of this review was expanded at the request of the scientific diving community as well as committee member Jarrod Jablonski of the Global Underwater Explorers (GUE) training agency. Jablonski requested a more detailed review that included consideration of oxygen toxicity events.
>Our team used the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) Rescue Diver Manual as a starting point for the expected behavior of a rescue diver assisting a victim. Rescues were analyzed and reviewed in three phases: 1. preparation for ascent to the surface, 2. retrieval of the victim to the surface, and 3. procedures for the care of the victim at the surface. Special considerations for victims found with a rebreather were reviewed for each of these phases.
>The application of this decision tree depends on the rescuer having the appropriate foundational knowledge and experience of formal diver-rescue training. (It is never too late to learn new skills or practice old ones.)
>It is completely appropriate for rescuers to ensure their own safety when using these recommendations. The degree of risk you are willing to assume to help another is something only you can determine. Keep in mind that a safety stop is only a recommendation following a no-decompression dive and should not be considered a decompression obligation.
>The committee doubts the recent changes to CPR instruction are relevant to submerged-diver rescue. In a dive accident that includes respiratory arrest, there could be a variable period of time in which rescue breaths may prevent the accident from progressing to cardiac arrest. This is because the respiratory arrest in a dive accident is likely due to a lack of oxygen (asphyxia).
>Our committee appreciates that there are circumstances that aren't adequately accounted for in these guidelines; the intention is to provide guidance that is not overly complicated. These should not be considered immutable rules for all situations.
>© Alert Diver —Fall 2013