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DDRC supports year long “Under the Sea” Exhibition
The Diving Diseases Research Centre (DDRC) is supporting a year long special exhibition at the National Maritime Museum (NMM) in Falmouth by lending one of its hyperbaric recompression chambers.
In a departure from celebrating what happens on the water, the NMM’s new “Under the Sea” exhibition explores man’s activity beneath the waves and features shipwrecks, free diving, submarines, sport and commercial diving, physiology, underwater warfare and photography.
Specialist recompression chambers have played a major role in the development of diving and diving safety by providing hyperbaric oxygen therapy for divers with decompression sickness (‘the bends’). The condition occurs when divers’ surface too quickly causing inert gas bubbles to occur in the bloodstream. Symptoms for the life-threatening condition range from headaches and stiffness to fatigue, weakness and even paralysis; early diagnosis is essential. The treatment involves the patient breathing 100% oxygen at pressures greater than atmospheric (sea level) in a pressurised treatment chamber, DDRC expect to treat around 70 diving accidents in the course of a year. DDRC Operations Director Peter Atkey said:
“The consequences of decompression sickness can be very severe indeed so we devote a lot of time and resources to raising awareness of all the issues involved including how to plan dives properly, safety precautions, how to recognise the symptoms, diver first aid and emergency procedures”.
“Prevention is always better than cure so we are really delighted to support this very interesting exhibition particularly as it will further help to raise awareness of our work and safe diving.”
The chamber on display is a multi-place version previously used offshore by commercial divers who would be working under “Saturation” conditions, this involves divers living under pressure in compression chambers located on deck and being transported to the worksite underwater in a pressurised diving bell allowing them to remain at the same pressure. Decompression (returning to surface pressure) will then only be required on completion of their work period which could be up to 28 days. Saturation diving is a very cost effective method of conducting diving operations under water.
The Under the Sea Exhibition at the National Maritime Museum, Falmouth begins on January 28th and is scheduled to run for a full year. |
