UHMS Discusses Two Possible New HBO₂ Indications

After two years of canceling conferences due to COVID-19 the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) was finally able to continue its traditional live annual scientific meeting, combining our meeting with the Aerospace Medicine Association (AsMA) in May 2022. Part of the meeting focused on two new potential indications for hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO₂).
 
This is the second time in the history of UHMS we've had a combined conference with AsMA, and it emphasizes the close relationship we've always had since our organization began as the Undersea Medical Society (UMS) formed in concept by 6 individual members—5 MDs and one PhD—at the 1966 AsMA meeting in Las Vegas. A formal charter was approved April 10, 1967 in Washington, DC. Originally organized under the umbrella of the Aerospace Medical Association as sub-society, the UMS had a starting membership of 90 with that charter. By the time we formerly changed the name to the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) in 1986 it was a fully established independent society. Our first combined annual scientific meeting with AsMA was in 1998 in Seattle, 31 years after inception—and now after another 24 years we had our second combined meeting. Judging by comments from this year’s very successful meeting, however, the overwhelming consensus was that we should continue to combine meetings every 5–10 years. We are already planning for the next joint venture in 2025.
 
The meeting was well attended by both societies and offered a wide variety of topics of interest to both. The UHMS provided two preconference courses, one for the dive medicine community related to the Operational Resilience and Cognitive Awareness (ORCA) project and the other for practical clinical applications in wound care for the hyperbaric provider. Keynote speakers included the AsMA Bauer lecture given by Michael A. Berry, MD, MS, on historical issues in US aerospace medicine followed by the UHMS Kindwall lecture provided by Lindell K. Weaver, MD, on decision making for hyperbaric oxygen treatment for brain injury. The AsMA Armstrong lecture was provided by Melchor Antunano, MD, on medical and human factors challenges of new aerospace transportation systems, and the UHMS Lambertsen memorial lecture was given by Robert W. Sanders, MD, on undersea and hyperbaric medical support at the NASA neutral buoyancy lab.
 
One of the highlights for all, however, was to watch teams of Fellows from all the Aerospace and Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine Fellowship programs combining their cumulative knowledge bases to compete in a very competitively raucous rendition of Jeopardy!-style gaming.
 
There are a couple important highlights I can report on following annual committee meetings. First off, in response to an ever-increasing membership shift towards non-hospital-based, free-standing hyperbaric clinics we stood up a new UHMS committee called the committee for office based hyperbaric medicine (COBHM) to be chaired by Alan Katz, MD. Anyone with a desire to serve on this committee or who may have issues or concerns to address may do so by directly contacting him or anyone on the executive committee.
 
The hyperbaric oxygen therapy committee also reviewed new evidence for two possible new indications for HBO₂ for inflammatory bowel disease and traumatic brain injury and their report will be forthcoming in the next edition of the hyperbaric oxygen indications manual. Watch for new updates on those possible changes.
 
Finally, the meeting closed with a passing of the gavel from myself, as the outgoing President to Pete Witucki, MD, as the new incoming President of the UHMS. Other newly elected Board members include Owen O’Neill, MD, as President Elect, Constantino Balestra, MSc, PhD, as the Vice President, Helen Gelly, MD, as Treasurer. We welcome Bruce Derrick, MD, and Brian Keuski, MD, as members at large to the Board with Julio Garcia, RN, assuming the role of Associate Nurse Representative and Elizabeth Smykowski, RN, as the Associate Nurse Rep Elect.
 
Dr. Robins is the immediate Past President of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society. He is the Senior Medical Director for Hyperbaric and Wound Care Services for Intermountain Healthcare in the Rocky Mountain region.

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