DATELINE: 5 December 2002

'MIRACULOUS' RECOVERY FOR DIVER WHO NEARLY DIED

28-year-old Steve Lukey survived a fast ascent from a 57m wreck dive, and is now able to walk again after suffering paralysis, and loss of vision and hearing shortly after surfacing.
The accident happened almost 4 months ago in August. Lukey was evacuated by helicopter to DDRC for recompression, where the neurological damage he suffered was considered so severe that doctors were surprised that he had survived. "This was one of the worst cases of decompression sickness where the patient survived that we have had to deal with." commented Dr Bryson, Medical Director of DDRC.
Lukey has had 23 hyperbaric treatments since the accident and is now able to walk with the help of a stick. The speed at which he received treatment for his bend is seen as critical to his survival and the extent of his recovery.
"The quicker you get to a hyperbaric chamber, the more likely you are to survive, and the better your chances of making a recovery and avoiding long-term damage." advised Dr Sharp, a hyperbaric doctor at DDRC. "There are two key areas: recognising the problem, and knowing how to contact the emergency services. In practice this means you must assume that any signs of illness after surfacing are diving related until proved otherwise. Give oxygen and fluids, and contact the Coastguard immediately. At DDRC we are available 24 hours a day to give advice and receive casualties."
Unfortunately nearly one in five divers will suffer long-term neurological problems after being treated for a bend, usually as a result of a delay in receiving treatment. Delays can be caused by people with bends not recognising their problem, or going to their GP or the Accident and Emergency department of a hospital rather than to diving specialists at a hyperbaric facility. "We recently treated a woman who had suffered a neurological bend and could not do up the buttons on her shirt. Because of her bend, she didn't consider that this was a problem, but luckily her husband brought her in for treatment. Only after being treated was she clear-headed enough to realise that she had had a problem," explained Dr Sharp.