Have you ever wondered what would happen in the unlikely event that you were unfortunate enough to suffer from a bout of decompression sickness AKA the ‘bends’ on your long awaited and meticulously planned diving trip. Well let me enlighten you as to what facilities are here to assist you on the Paradise Island of Bali.
Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar, Bali is where the Australian owned and managed Hyperbaric Health facility is located and where you would end up for treatment should you start to feel unwell with signs and symptoms of decompression sickness after a dive. This impressive facility has the capacity to treat 4-6 divers’ simultaneously in relative comfort and is located only 15 mins drive from the All 4 Diving Indonesia HQ in Sanur.
Established in 1996 Hyperbaric Health defines itself as a medical services company, specializing in Hyperbaric medicine. The Hyperbaric Health brand is recognized as the largest and most active provider/supplier of Hyperbaric medical services and equipment in the Asia Pacific region. As of 2012 Hyperbaric Health owns and or operates 46 Hyperbaric systems located in 19 countries in the Asia Pacific region.
The function of the Chamber in a diving decompression sickness emergency is to simulate another dive for the patient increasing pressure to allow any nitrogen bubbles trapped in the body to be re-absorbed into the system and then reducing that pressure again very slowly, in effect bringing the patient back to the surface again very slowly giving any troublesome nitrogen bubbles in the body time to escape normally at a small size through the lungs with normal breathing rather than getting trapped in the areas of the human body causing the discomfort commonly associated with decompression sickness. During the process the patients regularly have sessions breathing 100% oxygen under pressure which accelerates the healing process and safe elimination of those pesky nitrogen bubbles.
The Hyperbaric Health facility not only offers emergency medical treatment for injured divers it also offers a 2 hour ‘Washing Out Silent Bubbles’ service by appointment for busy dive professionals based in Bali. This ‘soapy’ sounding human laundry service is designed for Instructors and Divemasters working here who can do many consecutive days diving with 2-3 dives a day and for months at a time with only a few days break to ‘off gas’ in the high season.
Any time spent in the ‘pressure pot’ commands a hefty bill so it is vital that all divers planning to dive when on holiday anywhere in the world have comprehensive dive and travel insurance, each treatment session is around $ 4000 and you may require multiple sessions and any associated costs !!
Please everyone make sure that you have a good insurance policy that covers the type of diving you intend to perform on your trip to Indonesia. Also it is a very good idea to always dive with a dive computer, be a S.A.F.E diver (Slowly Ascend From Every Dive) and always conduct a proper safety stop at the end of your dive. Dive computers are supplied by All 4 Diving Indonesia free of charge, our dive groups are small with a maximum ratio of 4 divers to 1 Instructor or Divemaster and with the very latest safety equipment you can rest assured your safety is our top priority at All 4 Diving Indonesia.