The discovery and understanding of barotrauma-related injuries began over 100 years ago, long before the invention of scuba diving. It was first described when laborers began to work inside caissons that were being used to build bridge supports. In order for a bridge to stand, the supporting pillars had to be set on bedrock and not the muddy bottom of a river. The caisson was invented to remedy this problem.
A caisson is a large, thick, wooden container not unlike a boat. Once built, it was floated to the proposed building site and then flipped over and sunk to the bottom. Air was then pumped into the caisson to force the water out which created pressure inside the structure. Laborers could then descend into the caisson and dig out the muck on the bottom of the river. As they removed the mud and muck, the caisson would slowly settle deeper and deeper into the river bed until it reached bedrock. As it went deeper, the pressure inside the caisson had to be increased to hold the water back. Increasing the pressure inside the caisson created problems for the laborers who were experiencing terrible muscle and joint pains at the end of the work day when they came out of the pressure-filled structures. Typically, they had to walk bent over, hence the name “the bends” for this decompression illness. When they returned to the pressure-filled caisson, the symptoms would resolve.
July/August 2007 ISSN-1059-6518 Volume 20 Number 4
Read more
Barotrauma
/in Barotrauma/by WMN EditorsThe discovery and understanding of barotrauma-related injuries began over 100 years ago, long before the invention of scuba diving. It was first described when laborers began to work inside caissons that were being used to build bridge supports. In order for a bridge to stand, the supporting pillars had to be set on bedrock and not the muddy bottom of a river. The caisson was invented to remedy this problem.
A caisson is a large, thick, wooden container not unlike a boat. Once built, it was floated to the proposed building site and then flipped over and sunk to the bottom. Air was then pumped into the caisson to force the water out which created pressure inside the structure. Laborers could then descend into the caisson and dig out the muck on the bottom of the river. As they removed the mud and muck, the caisson would slowly settle deeper and deeper into the river bed until it reached bedrock. As it went deeper, the pressure inside the caisson had to be increased to hold the water back. Increasing the pressure inside the caisson created problems for the laborers who were experiencing terrible muscle and joint pains at the end of the work day when they came out of the pressure-filled structures. Typically, they had to walk bent over, hence the name “the bends” for this decompression illness. When they returned to the pressure-filled caisson, the symptoms would resolve.
July/August 2007 ISSN-1059-6518 Volume 20 Number 4
Read more
Missionary Medicine in Zambia
/in Teaching Wilderness Medicine/by WMN EditorsDisclaimer: The content of the Wilderness Medicine Newsletter is not a substitute for formal training or the recommendation of an Read more
Critical Care and the Patient Assessment System Part II
/in Level of Consciousness, Patient Assessment, Shock/by WMN EditorsThis is the second of two articles on the Patient Assessment System (PAS). In the first article, we reviewed the entire PAS, paying particular attention to the areas of the PAS that can indicate an emergent problem requiring immediate care. In this edition of the WMN, we will review the PAS and Critical Care—taking a close look at the patient’s chief complaints which would indicate an underlying potentially life-threatening injury or illness that would necessitate immediate care and attention. In particular, we will review the differential diagnosis and management for changes in level of consciousness, chest pain, shortness of breath, and shock.
May/June 2007 ISSN-1059-6518 Volume 20 Number 3
Read more
Critical Care and the Patient Assessment System
/in Patient Assessment, Uncategorized/by WMN EditorsThe way in which you handle the first five minutes
of an emergency can make the difference between life and Read more