ABEM UHM case studies
ABEM UHM · Put your knowledge to work in context.
Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine (UHM) is an ABEM subspecialty certification for physicians who already hold primary certification in emergency medicine and who want to demonstrate added expertise in diving medicine and hyperbaric therapy. Candidates typically include emergency physicians who staff hyperbaric chambers, cover dive accidents, serve as dive medical officers, or work in wound care and problem-wound programs. The ABEM UHM case studies are 5 cases and about 2,117 words.
1Type II Decompression Sickness After a Marginal-Procedure Dive
A 41-year-old commercial abalone diver surfaces after a 3-dive day: 22 m for 38 min, a 1-hour surface interval, 18 m for 31 min, a 2-hour interval, then 14 m for 45 min. He used air, made no decompression stops, and reports the last dive was 'easy.' Two hours after surfacing he has patchy numbness in both feet ascending to the umbilicus, mild low back pain, and unsteady gait.
498 words, about 2 min2Inner-Ear DCS Versus Arterial Gas Embolism After a Rapid Ascent
A 29-year-old recreational diver makes a panic ascent from 20 m after his regulator free-flows. He surfaces in under a minute, sputtering, and is pulled aboard.
465 words, about 2 min3Fitness to Dive After Spontaneous Pneumothorax
A 34-year-old recreational diver presents for a dive fitness assessment. Eight months ago he had a spontaneous pneumothorax treated with a chest tube and made a full recovery; CT showed a small apical bleb.
381 words, about 2 min4Oxygen Toxicity During a Long Hyperbaric Treatment
A 52-year-old man is being treated for a chronic non-healing wound with a hyperbaric protocol at 2.4 ATA for 90 minutes on 100% oxygen. At 70 minutes into the treatment he develops tingling around the mouth, twitching of the right hand, and anxiety.
366 words, about 2 min5Decompression Illness in a Remote Setting With Limited Chamber Access
A 38-year-old diver on a liveaboard 6 hours from the nearest chamber develops progressive numbness and weakness in both legs 3 hours after a 30 m dive, along with urinary hesitancy. He is otherwise stable, has no chest pain, and is on 100% oxygen by mask.
407 words, about 2 min