Darwin

Royal Darwin Hospital

Hyperbaric Medical Unit
Rocklands Drive Tiwi
NT 0810
Phone 61 8 8922 8230, Facsimile 61 8 8922 8794
Email brian.spain@CASRDH.HEALTH.nt.gov.au

The Chamber

The recompression chamber currently leased by Royal Darwin Hospital was commissioned and built in California USA in 1980 by Oceaneering, an international commercial diving company with offices in Australia, Asia, and the United States. Oceaneering is also involved in the aerospace industry as consulting specialists in the design of a range of equipment utilised by NASA.

The chamber is a multi-compartment, multi-place chamber with a maximum working depth of 337 feet seawater (103 meters seawater). The chamber has an internal length of 5.6m and a diameter of 1.8m. The recompression chamber is also fitted with a 380mm diameter medical lock, which enables the transfer of small articles into the chamber whilst a treatment is in progress.

Pressurisation of the chamber is achieved by filling the chamber with compressed air to the desired treatment pressure. Air pressure is suppled by an ingersollrand low-pressure compressor and a redundant high pressure air supply of 10 "G" size cylinders containing medical grade air.

Pressurising the chamber to treatment depth.

Oxygen is supplied to the chamber from the Hospitals liquid oxygen supply and a redundant backup system of banked oxygen cylinders is also available in the event of a primary system failure. A 50/50 Heliox gas mixture is also available for 30m therapeutic treatment tables.

The chamber is fitted with two black and white closed circuit TV cameras and three hard-wired communication systems consisting of an Amron chamber communication panel, an Aiphone intercom, and a voice powered telephone.

Internal fire fighting equipment consists of a water deluge system that is externally activated by the Hyperbaric Technical Officer and an internal fire hose that can be operated by the inside-nursing attendant.

The chamber has the capacity to treat four seated patients or two patients lying down and one seated or a combination thereof, plus one nursing attendant per treatment.

Treatment in progress

The Hyperbaric unit

On the third of August 1990 the Hyperbaric unit was opened by the then NT Minister for Health and Community Services the Hon Steve Hatton MLA. Prior to the opening, the recompression chamber was refurbished to meet the needs of a therapeutic recompression chamber.

The role of the Darwin Hyperbaric unit is to act as the primary referral centre for the diving community of the Northern Territory and South East Asia. Increasing the knowledge base of the community is also an objective of the unit, necessitating regular dive nights held at the Hyperbaric unit, diving forums and the provision of orientation nights for a variety of community organisations, such as St Johns ambulance volunteers. The staff of the unit also works in partnership with other health professionals to provide hyperbaric oxygen therapy for conditions accepted by the Australian/New Zealand Hyperbaric Medical Group as being responsive to hyperbaric therapy.

Nursing staff consult prior to patient treatment.

The Hyperbaric Medical Unit is open between 7:30 am and 4:30pm Monday to Friday however on call staff are available for emergency treatments 24 hours a day. The unit's Medical Director is Dr Brian Spain with support from Dr Steven Hams. Currently Michelle Walding is the full time Clinical Nursing Specialist with support from Registered Nurse Althea Davies and Sean Slattery is the Hyperbaric Technical Officer.

Hyperbaric Nurses are rostered from the various wards within the hospital on a rotating basis. The Hyperbaric Unit currently conducts twice yearly Hyperbaric Nursing attendant courses to maintain a pool of qualified nursing staff.