CHT Hyperbaric Chamber Emergency Procedures 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When a patient experiences an oxygen toxicity seizure inside a monoplace chamber, the technician should:
- Open the chamber immediately to provide airway support
- Switch the patient to air, protect from injury, and prepare for emergency decompression if seizure persists (Correct answer)
- Increase oxygen flow to maintain treatment pressure
- Immediately decompress at maximum rate
Correct answer: Switch the patient to air, protect from injury, and prepare for emergency decompression if seizure persists
Switching to air terminates oxygen exposure, protecting the patient from further CNS injury while the seizure is managed safely inside the chamber.
Question 2: What does the term 'buddy breathing' refer to in multiplace hyperbaric chamber emergency training?
- A technique where two patients share a single oxygen mask alternately
- Using a second diver to monitor a patient's breathing pattern
- A procedure where an inside tender provides emergency air supply to a distressed patient (Correct answer)
- Synchronized breathing exercises to equalize pressure
Correct answer: A procedure where an inside tender provides emergency air supply to a distressed patient
Buddy breathing in multiplace chambers refers to an inside tender providing emergency air or oxygen supply to a patient in respiratory distress.
Question 3: Which document should a hyperbaric facility have immediately accessible in the event of a chamber emergency?
- The original chamber manufacturer's sales contract
- Emergency procedures manual and emergency contact list (Correct answer)
- Patient billing records
- Equipment purchase receipts
Correct answer: Emergency procedures manual and emergency contact list
An emergency procedures manual and emergency contact list must be immediately accessible so staff can execute the correct response and notify appropriate personnel.
Question 4: A hyperbaric chamber's pressure hull develops a visible crack during treatment. The correct response is to:
- Apply epoxy sealant and continue treatment
- Immediately initiate controlled emergency decompression and evacuate patients (Correct answer)
- Monitor the crack and document its size every 5 minutes
- Reduce pressure by 10 psi and continue treatment
Correct answer: Immediately initiate controlled emergency decompression and evacuate patients
A cracked pressure hull represents a structural failure risk and requires immediate controlled emergency decompression and patient evacuation.
Question 5: In a multiplace hyperbaric chamber, what is the role of the inside attendant (tender) during an emergency?
- To operate the chamber controls remotely
- To assist patients, provide first aid, and communicate status to outside operators (Correct answer)
- To increase chamber pressure to stabilize the situation
- To document the emergency for post-incident review
Correct answer: To assist patients, provide first aid, and communicate status to outside operators
The inside tender assists patients physically, provides first aid measures, and maintains communication with the outside operator during emergencies.
Question 6: After an emergency decompression, a patient develops joint pain in both knees. This most likely indicates:
- Arterial gas embolism
- Type I decompression sickness (Correct answer)
- Oxygen toxicity pulmonary effects
- Barotrauma of the middle ear
Correct answer: Type I decompression sickness
Joint pain (the 'bends') following decompression is characteristic of Type I decompression sickness affecting musculoskeletal structures.
Question 7: What is the appropriate first-aid treatment administered to a patient while inside a hyperbaric chamber who is suspected of having an arterial gas embolism (AGE)?
- Lay the patient in a head-down (Trendelenburg) position
- Recompress immediately per facility AGE protocol (Correct answer)
- Administer oral aspirin and monitor
- Begin manual chest compressions
Correct answer: Recompress immediately per facility AGE protocol
Immediate recompression per facility AGE protocol is the definitive first-line treatment for arterial gas embolism to reduce bubble size.
CHT Hyperbaric Chamber Emergency Procedures 3
When a patient experiences an oxygen toxicity seizure inside a monoplace chamber, the technician should: