ABPM Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine study plan

Compute absolute pressure, partial pressures, and gas density at 0, 10, 30, and 60 msw for air and for a trimix, showing each step of the arithmetic

Explain the mechanism of barotrauma in each gas-filled space (middle ear, sinuses, mask, gut, lung) and rank the spaces by how early symptoms appear during descent

Describe the oxygen–hemoglobin dissociation curve and predict how hyperbaric oxygen, hypothermia, and acidosis shift it

State the assumptions of the Haldane tissue-half-time model and explain why perfusion-limited and diffusion-limited tissues load inert gas differently

Draw the pressure–volume relationship for a breathing lung and explain how a breath held during ascent produces pulmonary overpressure

Differentiate type I and type II decompression sickness and arterial gas embolism by onset, presentation, and exam findings

Trace the decision logic that leads from a suspected DCS or AGE presentation to recompression on a Treatment Table 6 versus a Treatment Table 4

Explain inert gas uptake and elimination during a multi-level dive and identify the dive profiles that most raise DCS risk

Contrast central nervous system oxygen toxicity with pulmonary and ocular oxygen toxicity in terms of dose, timing, and mitigation

Explain how a closed-circuit rebreather can deliver a hypoxic or hypercapnic gas and describe the physiological consequences of each

Match each accepted hyperbaric oxygen indication to its mechanism of action (oxygen delivery, neutrophil function, angiogenesis, antimicrobial effect, bubble reduction)

Build a dosing reference that gives pressure, session length, and typical number of treatments for each indication you are responsible for

List absolute and relative contraindications and the specific management step for each before a patient enters the chamber

Explain the evidence standard used to grant and to withdraw an indication and identify indications that are investigational or not supported

Describe how transcutaneous oximetry and other baseline testing influence the decision to treat

Predict and manage the complications of therapy: barotrauma, oxygen toxicity, confinement anxiety, hypoglycemia, and fire risk from patient-carried items

Adapt a treatment plan for patients who cannot equalize, who are ventilator-dependent, or who have an artificial airway

Explain the rationale for air breaks and how they change the dose delivered

Critique the design of a study of hyperbaric oxygen in a contested indication and state what evidence would change practice

Explain the fire-safety triad inside a chamber and the specific controls applied to each leg before and during a pressurization

Sequence a full treatment: pre-dive patient and equipment check, compression, air breaks, decompression, and post-dive documentation

Describe the duties of the inside attendant, outside tender, chamber operator, and supervising physician and where authority transfers in an emergency

Explain gas supply requirements and purity limits, including how an inadequate or contaminated supply is detected

Write out the response to two chamber emergencies: fire inside the chamber and a patient who deteriorates while at pressure

Apply fitness-to-dive criteria to a candidate with asthma, a seizure history, diabetes, or a cardiac condition, stating the disqualifying feature and the review pathway

Differentiate the roles of the regulating bodies, consensus standards, and employer programs that govern commercial, scientific, and recreational diving

Explain the decompression tables and work-rest practices used in compressed-air (caisson) work and how they differ from in-water diving schedules

Identify the occupational exposures of compressed-air work, including noise, thermal stress, fatigue, and dysbaric osteonecrosis

Interpret the exposure and medical-surveillance requirements an employer must meet for a compressed-air worker

Re-audit every error logged in weeks 1 through 6 and convert each into a one-line rule you can recall under time pressure

Practice integrating physiology with chamber operations by working through multi-step scenarios that begin with a dive and end with a treatment table

Rehearse the calculations most likely to appear on the exam (pressure, partial pressure, oxygen dose, gas consumption, decompression obligation) until each is completed in under two minutes

Identify the two weakest domains from practice scores and complete a targeted review of only those topics

Recite from memory the accepted indications, mechanisms, and protocols that were drilled in weeks 3 and 4

Rehearse the occupational and environmental standards that were drilled in week 6, focusing on fitness-to-dive thresholds and surveillance requirements

Complete two timed half-length exams under exam conditions and review only the errors

Assemble a one-page pre-exam summary containing the formulas, protocols, and decision rules you are most likely to forget