Accident Assessment: A 32-year-old male diver was on a dive trip in a remote area of the South Pacific. On a shallow reef dive he stood on the sand while photographing his buddy. Some sand entered his left fin, which was a full-foot fin. As he continued to swim during the rest of the dive, the sand rubbed inside his fin and he sustained an abrasion on the top of his foot. The area was about 1 inch (2.5 centimeters). There was only a slight oozing of blood, which stopped quickly. The diver rinsed the area off to remove the sand, but did not provide any additional care. The next morning, the area was slightly red and sore, but he was able to participate in three dives that day without too much discomfort. At the end of the day, the wound appeared more red, and the area of redness had increased in size. Again, no special care or specific treatment was applied to the injury. During the night, the diver experienced increased discomfort in his foot – it was red, swollen and very sore to the touch. He was also beginning to experience chills. In the morning, the resort staff contacted the local doctor, who diagnosed an infection. He placed the diver on appropriate antibiotics and instructed the diver to discontinue diving. Could the diver have done anything differently? What would you have done in this situation?
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 15:00:05 +0000
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