Photo By Lance Cpl. Kris Daberkoe | Capt. Bruce A. Cohen, force surgeon at Navy Expeditionary Combat Command,...... read more read more
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - A mobile training team of three U.S. Navy medical specialists deployed to the Search, Rescue and Diving School in Acapulco, Mexico, to teach a 40-hour clinical medical course focusing on hyperbaric oxygen therapy, Feb. 18-22.
This marks the second year team members conducted this training, stemming from a request from the Mexican navy in 2012.
“The Mexican navy has the equipment, but their program to develop the expertise to utilize the equipment to its fullest potential is still in its infancy,” said Capt. Bruce A. Cohen, force surgeon at Navy Expeditionary Combat Command. “We’ve been doing this a long time, so they turned to us for assistance. NECC places high focus on assisting our counterparts with this training as it better supports the interoperability of shared and joint missions.”
The Mexican navy has 17 hyperbaric chambers. A hyperbaric chamber is a cylindrical compartment that artificially reproduces pressure conditions found under the sea, allowing for an isolated form of oxygen therapy to be used in both diving-related and non-diving medical applications. These chambers are essential in preventing and treating decompression sickness in divers.
“Our plan was to essentially ‘train the trainer,’” said Cohen. “This year, we’ve updated the course to reflect additional case studies and current research in the field. Our goal is to build up their expertise to increase the number of personnel trained to operate the chambers.”
The five-day course provided an opportunity for the two navies to participate in lectures, discuss case studies and share knowledge through group interactions. The training included instruction on chamber operations, wound care and basic medicine for treatment of patients in a hyperbaric environment.
“We give them scenarios and discuss the outcomes,” said Cohen. “The students know how to operate the chambers. This course focuses on academics and medicine, and offers a basic review of physics and operations.”
Mexican navy personnel attending the course included 10 physicians, 10 nurses and 10 divers from all over their country. The Search, Rescue and Diving School provided students with a state-of-the-art facility, supplying a hyperbaric chamber, real-time instant translators and electronic whiteboards.
“They have a phenomenal translation system and people there,” said Cohen. “It’s real-time translation. We wear a headset and it translates as we speak, instantaneously.”
The translation system allowed the two navies to communicate effectively throughout the classroom-based course despite language barriers, while a hyperbaric chamber on-site provided a platform for visual demonstrations.
“The undersea environment can be harsh and unforgiving and is dangerous to operate in,” said Cohen. “A hyperbaric chamber allows for treatment of injuries that could be life threatening to working divers.”
The MTT instructing this year’s course consisted of Capt. Bruce A. Cohen, Capt. Brett B. Hart, head of the Hyperbaric Training Department at the Naval Aerospace Medicine Institute, and Master Chief Mitchell T. Pearce, the force medical master chief at NECC.
Upon completion of this second visit, 60 Mexican navy personnel have graduated from the course instructed by the U.S. Navy.
NECC is a command element and force provider for integrated maritime expeditionary missions, serving as a single functional command for the Navy's expeditionary forces.
| Date Taken: | 03.06.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 03.06.2013 15:08 |
| Story ID: | 103008 |
| Location: | ACAPULCO, GRO, MX |
| Web Views: | 102 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Expeditionary doctor continues training partnership in Mexico, by PO2 Kay Savarese, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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