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51
Specialists (IADRS), European
Underwater and Baromedical
Society (EUBS), South Pacific
Underwater Medicine Society
(SPUMS), American Academy
of Underwater Sciences
(AAUS) and other national
and international conferences.
Attending these events allows
DAN to keep abreast of the
active research in dive medicine
and support those efforts as a
sponsor or research partner.
Working at all levels of the
diving and medical/research
communities keeps us on the
cutting edge, striving toward
our vision of making every dive
accident- and injury-free.
Q:
While diving I
encountered a sea
urchin and now have a bunch of spines sticking
out of the fleshy part of my thumb between the wrist
and palm. What should I do?
A:
Puncture wounds create an
ideal environment for local
infections as well as for
systemic infections such as tetanus.
Never neglect puncture wounds, and
be sure to thoroughly clean the wound
with soap and water as soon as possible.
Have them evaluated by a doctor at the
first sign of concern, and make sure
your immunizations are up to date.
Beyond the pain of the puncture,
systemic symptoms occasionally occur
and may include nausea, syncope
(loss of consciousness), ataxia (loss
of coordination), muscular cramps,
generalized weakness, paresthesias
(altered sensations), even respiratory
distress. But these serious symptoms are
very rare. Typically these wounds are
more of an annoyance than a real threat.
In the rare event that urchin spines contain toxins, their
effects, such as pain, can be minimized with the application of
S T E P H E N F R I N K
Galapagos
Maldives
Silver Bank
Saba/St. Kitts
Bahamas
Turks & Caicos
1.800.322.3577
n
www.explorerventures.com
1.307.235.0683
n
info@explorerventures.com
Unique liveaboard experiences.
Exceptional value. Dive with us!
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That’s us. Since 1987.
FAMILY-OPERATED
FAMILY-OWNED
LIVEABOARD FLEET
is now at your
fingertips.
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