In the early afternoon of 9 March 2018, the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Center (OTI) of the Underwater Command and Incursors (COMSUBIN) was activated by the doctors of the Emergency Department of the "San Andrea" Hospital in La Spezia to treat a 73-year-old woman in an emergency years of La Spezia, victim of a carbon monoxide poisoning, which occurred in the home.
After the first checks, the Emergency Room of the nosocomio spezzino, then activated the team of personnel available from COMSUBIN composed of medical personnel specialized in underwater and hyperbaric medicine, as well as divers from the Operating Group Underwater, for the execution of an urgent treatment of oxygen therapy.
In a short time the patient was transferred by ambulance to the OTI center of Varignano, where the only hyperbaric plant of the province is active, to carry out the first treatment that will be followed by subsequent consolidation treatments, for the complete resolution of the disease.
These therapeutic activities, which see the Navy strongly committed to the community, in accordance with strict health care protocols, are able to ensure important clinical results, sometimes little known, as a result of various diseases, in addition to poisoning from carbon monoxide, such as those resulting from decompression diving accidents, skin ulcers, sudden deafness, aseptic osteonecrosis of the femoral head, various forms of gangrene, severe crush trauma and risky fractures.
Following the ratification of the agreement between the Underwater and Incursors Group and the Local Health Authority No. 5 of La Spezia, from 20 September 2016 1.096 individual Oxygen Therapy treatments were carried out in favor of civilian patients in the province.
This complementary capacity made available by COMSUBIN is a source of pride as it allows us to intervene in such a decisive way alongside local health structures in order to save lives.
