Hyperbaric Medicine
DEGREE : MSc. Hyperbaric Medicine
INTRODUCTION
Training in hyperbaric oxygen therapeutics confers important academic and professional advantages to future physicians, broadening and deepening their basic scientific foundations. Students enrolled in the Programs of Hyperbaric Medicine will experience the additional benefits of hands-on exposure to patients as early as the first semester of medical training and hence are greatly clinically advantaged as compared to most of their US-trained counterparts.
PROGRAM NAME : Masters in Hyperbaric Medicine or Diploma in Hyperbaric Medicine (*)
DESCRIPTION
This program can be completed by MD candidates that seek to have an in depth knowledge of hyperbaric medicine.
LOCATION : Curacao Campus
PREREQUISITE :
Benefits of Training
It is inescapable that training in hyperbaric oxygen therapeutics confers important academic and professional advantages to future physicians, immeasurably broadening and deepening their basic scientific foundations. Students enrolled in the Programs of Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine experience the additional benefits of hands-on exposure to patients as early as the first semester of medical training and hence are greatly clinically advantaged as compared to most of their US-trained counterparts.
Program Goals
The Programs of Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine deals with the therapeutic use of high environmental oxygen pressure and the prevention of injury and illness due to exposure to environments with elevated ambient pressure. The scope of the Programs is to emphasize occupational, environmental, safety, and clinical aspects of diving, hyperbaric chamber operations and hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2) therapy.
Programs
SAICHS offers the following programs in hyperbaric medicine:
- Masters in Hyperbaric Medicine
- Diploma in Hyperbaric Medicine
Requirements for graduation from the Master's Program
- the completion of a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university,
- the completion of the Required Courses (see table below), and
- the declaration of referees that the thesis meets acceptable standards. The failure of all referees to deem the thesis acceptable may necessitate an oral defense.
Requirements for graduation from the Diploma Program
Identical for those of the Master's Program with the exception of the thesis-related activities.
DURATION : 2 years (**)
CURRICULUM : see below
TUITION AND FEES : $8,500 (Masters) and $7,000 (Diploma)
OTHER
(*) Diploma course completes the same program as MSc., except that the requirement for thesis is omitted. (**) Transfer credit may be given to students who have already completed certain courses as part of the SAICHS Pre-Med program or SAISOM MD program.
CURRICULUM DETAILS
Required Courses : Hours
Oxygen Therapeutics : 88
Seminar in Hyperbaric Medicine : 25
Hyperbaric Tender Training : 8
Hyperbaric Driver Training : 12
Anatomy** : 256
Physiology** : 160
Neuroscience** : 160
Biochemistry ** : 160
(*) Transfer credit may be given to students who have already completed indicated courses at another university, college, or medical school. Students enrolled in the program of Basic Sciences or Accelerated Pre-Med program at SAICHS fulfill the indicated requirements as part of their training in the Basic Sciences.
1. History of pressure therapy in medicine
2. Physiologic effect of pressure and immersion
a. Physics of diving
3. Mechanical effects of pressure
a. Reduce bubble volume
b. Inert gases, supersaturation, re-dissolving nitrogen bubbles
4. Physiologic effects of hyperbaric oxygen
a. Increase in healing of hypoxic wounds
b. Inhibition of Clostridial alpha toxin
c. Lessening carbon monoxide toxicity
d. Influence on various blood cells
e. Vasoconstriction
f. Decrease in edema in burns and post-ischemic tissue
g. Preservation of tissue flaps
h. Decrease in lipid peroxidation
i. Inhibit PMN adherence/role of HBO2 in ischemia reperfusion injuries
5. Approved indications for hyperbaric oxygen therapy
a. Air or gas embolism
b. Carbon monoxide poisoning
c. Carbon monoxide poisoning complicated by cyanide poisoning
d. Clostridial myonecrosis
e. Acute traumatic ischemias
f. Decompression sickness
g. Enhancement of healing in selected problem wounds
h. Exceptional blood loss
i. Necrotizing soft tissue infections
j. Refractory osteomyelitis
k. Radiation tissue damage
l. Compromised skin grafts and flaps
m. Thermal burns
6. Contraindications and side effects of HBO
a. Absolute
1. Untreated pneumothorax
2. Selected medications (e.g. bleomycin)
b. Relative
1. COPD with CO2 retention, bullous disease
2. High fever
3. Seizure disorder
4. Recent thoracic surgery
5. Ear or sinus surgery
6. Congenital spherocytosis
7. Optic neuritis
8. Claustrophobia
a. Side effects
1. Barotrauma (otic, sinus, pulmonary)
2. Visual refractive changes
3. Oxygen induced seizures and other CNS effects
4. Claustrophobia
5. Pulmonary oxygen toxicity
7. Decompression Theory
a. Inert gas exchange
b. Mechanisms of bubble formation
c. Saturation decompression theory
d. Repetitive diving
e. Surface decompression
f. Bubble detection
g. Mixed gas diving
h. Flying after diving
8. Pathophysiology and treatment of decompression illnesses
a. Signs and symptoms of decompression sickness and AGE
b. Mechanisms of gas entry and distribution
c. Effects of bubbles
d. Dysbaricosteoncrosis
e. Barotrauma
f. Treatment of decompression illnesses
9. Tissue oxygen measurements
a. Ankle brachial index
b. Transcutaneous oximetry
10. Multiplace chamber operation
a. Equipment considerations
b. Patient considerations
c. Emergency procedures
11. Monoplace chamber operation
a. Equipment considerations
b. Patient considerations
c. Emergency procedures
12. Investigational areas (examples)
a. Ischemia reperfusion injury
b. Myocardial infarction
c. Cerebro-vascular accident
13. Health hazards in divers
a. Recognition and treatment of hazardous marine life injuries
Oxygen Therapeutics (88 hours – Masters & Diploma)
The course will encapsulate physiological and clinical aspects of hyperbaric gases in human subjects and patients, taking into account current literature concerning novel applications. Lecture/seminars and independent study will focus on indications for the use of pressurized gases in cases of gas embolism, carbon monoxide and cyanide poisoning, clostridial myonecrosis, traumatic ischemia, decompression sickness, wound healing, exceptional blood loss, necrotizing infections of soft tissue, osteomyelitis, radiation-induced damage to tissue, skin grafts and flaps, and burns. Applications of transcutaneous oximetry in the context of hyperbaric medicine will be stressed. Students are expected to conduct considerable independent study related to the course.
Seminar in Hyperbaric Medicine (25 hours)
The course comprises interactive sessions a covering the history of undersea and hyperbaric medicine, high- and low-pressure physics, diving physiology, decompression Illness, clinical examination; approved therapeutic uses of hyperbaric oxygen, experimental uses of hyperbaric oxygen, transcutaneous oximetry, and hyperbaric chamber safety.
Additional Programs
Hyperbaric Tender Training (8 hours)
Hyperbaric Driver Training (12 hours)