A baseline retrospective study of the Colonial War Memorial Hospital Hyperbaric Unit Services

The Colonial War Memorial Hospital (CWMH) Hyperbaric Unit was set up in 1999 following a notable increase in the number of local commercial divers suffering from decompression sickness (DCS). The frequency of cases of DCS and the financial burden this group of patients presented to the health system from costs related to evacuating them from remote locations to charges for recompression treatment at a private monospace chamber (the Fiji Recompression Chamber Facility), led to the realization that the Ministry of Health needed its own recompression facility. With the help of Hyperbaric Health Australia, a multiplace chamber was acquired and CWM Hospital is now the primary referral facility for recompression therapy for Fiji and the regional pacific islands.
Since its inception, the Hyperbaric Unit (HBU) has been providing hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for DCS as well as for problem wounds and there has yet been no formal study conducted to evaluate the functions of this important investment. Specifically, there is no data on the incidence of decompression injuries requiring HBOT in Fiji, and on outcomes following recompression therapy. There are also no studies evaluating the use of this facility for the treatment of select wounds.
This study aims to provide baseline information on the activities of the HBU in terms of describing its case load, use of treatment protocols and patient outcomes.