Month: October 2014

CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES COMMITTEE AT WORK – First task: Hyperbaric therapy for DFU

The UHMS CPG Oversight Committee, chaired by Dr. Enoch Huang, is at work on the first clinical practice guideline for the UHMS:  Clinical practice guideline for the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy as adjunctive treatment of diabetic foot ulcers.

The UHMS recently posted the public comment draft of the document on the UHMS website http://www.uhms.org and this blog, along with a companion file with all of the Figures and Tables. The public comment period remained open until the end of the day on October 31, 2014. The original draft and accompanying tables are still accessible; the new draft will be announced when it is received.

At this point, the CPG Oversight Committee is addressing suggestions and refining the text.

“We’d like to thank those of you who took the time to submit public comments,” said Dr. Huang, who is serving as the lead reviewer on this CPG. “We are working hard to address all of the great points that were brought up.”

Some background: The goal of the project is to perform systematic meta-analyses of the hyperbaric literature for UHMS-approved indications and create clinical guidelines that will be readily available on the UHMS website.

In addition to having this information available on the Society website, the UHMS plans to post CPGs relating to hyperbaric oxygen therapy on http://www.guideline.gov, the National Guideline Clearinghouse, a public resource for evidence-based medicine under the aegis of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“With the evidence-based support for hyperbaric oxygen available on http://www.guideline.gov, we believe that we can adequately refute insurance denials for reimbursement and provide guidance to our colleagues in other specialties on the appropriate request for hyperbaric medicine consultation,” noted Immediate Past President Dr. John Feldmeier in his Pressure column a year ago. Pressure is the bimonthly electronic newsletter for UHMS members.

The completion and publication of these guidelines is a complex and time-consuming effort. The UHMS has targeted these indications for initial work:

• diabetic foot ulcers;

• radiation soft tissue and bony necrosis;

• carbon monoxide poisoning; and

• compromised flaps and grafts.

CPGs for our other indications will follow. Watch for updates on this CPG in Pressure and UHMS social media.

With reports from:

Enoch Huang, M.D., Chair, CPG Oversight Committee, Lead Reviewer, Clinical Practice Guideline on Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Diabetic Foot Ulcers

DFU CPG Public Comment Text; DFU CPG rev Combined Figures and Tables

UHM author fees are now suspended for all submissions

UHM 38-3 OFC-tsp.inddThe Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society announces a change in its policy on fees for papers submitted to the Journal. Effective immediately, authors whose original papers are accepted for publication in the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Journal can now publish for no fee.

“We feel this is a positive move for the Society and its membership,” said Executive Director John Peters. “This should pose no financial barriers to entry, but we ask for the same high quality of papers that UHMS members have enjoyed through the years.”

In the past, UHMS has asked for a flat fee of $250 for all published papers, with an extra $30 per page for color illustrations. Papers currently in process – i.e., papers scheduled for publication in the November-December 2014 issue and onward  – will have no fees. UHMS has historically granted a waiver on fees upon request.

Author guidelines are being revised to include this change and will be posted on the UHMS website (www.uhms.org) and the UHMS blog (https://uhmsblog.wordpress.com).

Here’s a reminder of what you’ll see in the UHM Journal.

Types of PAPERS IN THE UHM JOURNAL

To meet its responsibilities to its readers and to the public at large, the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Journal strives to provide unbiased scientific information and fair analyses through its publication of the following types of papers.

  1. Research Reports: Results of experimental, theoretical and clinical investigations on topics important to the understanding of undersea, submarine and hyperbaric medicine. Short reports that make a substantial scientific contribution as well as extensive studies will be considered.
  1. Clinical communications and clinical case reports: Observations of an exceptionally revealing nature.
  1. Review articles: May cover scientific and practical subjects and may express personal opinions of the author.
  1. Current issues: Well-reasoned essays on topics of interest to the journal’s readers; may draw on new or published experimental data and may be controversial in nature.
  1. Technical communications: Descriptions of new methods or equipment; must include data to support contentions.
  1. Proceedings of symposiums or workshops: Usually a group of short communications that have the flavor of reviews.
  1. Letters to the editor: Discussion of scientific papers that have appeared in the journal or scientific issues of interest to the journal’s readers; should include an informative title and be as short as possible. References may be used if necessary, but tables and figures are discouraged.

Please direct questions to Renée Duncan, UHM Managing Editor, at renee@uhms.org.

DR. GEORGE ‘BABE’ HART, A GIANT IN HYPERBARIC MEDICINE, PASSES
DR. GEORGE "BABE" HART

DR. GEORGE “BABE” HART

Longtime UHMS member Dr. George Hart died peacefully on Sept. 26 with Sarah, his wife of 60 years, his five children and extended family at his side.

George ‘Babe’ Hart, M.D., FACS, was a giant in hyperbaric medicine, a thoracic, vascular and trauma surgeon as well as an expert in diving medicine. He received his specialty training in the U.S Navy, where he became the Director of Clinical Services and Chief of Surgery at the Naval Regional Medical Center in Corpus Christi, Texas. He retired after 20 years of active duty as a captain.

In 1974 Dr. Hart established the Hyperbaric Medicine Program at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, Long Beach, California. Under his stewardship, the program gained worldwide recognition as a preeminent center for clinical expertise, research and educational programs. Dr. Hart made innumerable contributions to hyperbaric medicine, including defining the appropriate uses of hyperbaric oxygen, establishing chamber safety protocols with the National Fire Protection Agency and refining the monoplace chamber to the modern counterparts universally used today. He also set the standard for treatment protocols for the clinical uses of hyperbaric oxygen as well as generating more than 100 published articles and almost a dozen book chapters. Dr. Hart has received almost every award that exists in the field of hyperbaric medicine, including serving as the keynote speaker at the 2013 Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society meeting.

Dr. Hart’s presentations, which account to more than a thousand, have always been characterized by wit, enthusiasm, personal experiences and sound scientific data. Many of his observations and theories about how hyperbaric oxygen works are just now being verified with advancing scientific information. Dr. Hart was truly a giant in his field, known for his contributions to hyperbaric medicine, highly respected by his colleagues at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center and much loved by his patients and the people with whom he worked.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that donations in Dr. Hart’s memory be made to the Memorial Medical Center Foundation Hyperbaric Medicine Fund (www.memorialcare.org/mmcf) or to the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (please contact the Executive Office to donate).

Long Beach Memorial Medical Center will hold a memorial service on October 21 at 2pm.

Important Notice to UHMS Members: Email Spearfishing Scheme

Dear UHMS Members:

We are informing you that the UHMS was the victim of an email “spearfishing” scheme where documents were disclosed to an unknown party consisting of the names and emails of our membership. This unfortunate event has been reported to Federal authorities and they along with the UHMS board of directors and management believe that we should urge each member to be very cautious if you receive any suspicious emails from anyone claiming they are from the UHMS.

UHMS emails coming to the membership will come from staff using only their name@uhms.org (example jpeters@uhms.org), and not a personal email like name@gmail.com or name@hotmail.com.

Do not respond to any email that comes from a team member of the UHMS that contains a non UHMS email and if you do please, contact the UHMS offices immediately.

Additionally, we will continue to communicate with our membership through electronic means (eBlasts) such as the UHMS@UHMS.org email, as well as our social media accounts LinkedIn and Facebook and also our UHMS Blog at https://uhmsblog.wordpress.com/.

Always, if you have questions or are concerned about any email correspondence you receive please call us at

877-533-UHMS. Thank you!

Regards,

John S. Peters, FACHE

Executive Director, Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society