HBOT Conversations:
Evan Fernandez

Warriors on the Water

Evan served in the US Marine Corp, and is currently the President and Founder of Warriors on the Water, USA.  Warriors on the Water is a non-profit chartered fishing company that seeks to change a veteran’s perspective on life through natural remedies of healing being on the ocean and surrounded by nature. They offer veterans an opportunity to view their struggles through an alternate perspective; teaching that we cannot change the things that happen, but we can change our reaction.   

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HBOT News Network welcomes Evan Fernandez with Warriors on the Water.  Evan is an Iraq & Afghanistan Marine Corps combat veteran.  He exited the Marine Corps honorably in 2007, but not before he sustained substantial injuries while in combat. He is currently going through Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy treatments.

Evan tells us how he sustained another head injury about four years ago, and the result of that injury brought back a lot of painful memories and even more cognitive mental decline. He noticed that the multiple TBIs (traumatic brain injuries) have caused him difficulty in concentration & focus, and he was making a lot of mistakes.  The injuries affected his sleep and also caused him to feel a debilitating sense of stress and frustration.

He has now completed 29 HBOT treatments, and gives insight into how he is feeling.  After his first HBOT dive, Evan tells us that he was in tears.  The very first treatment was emotionally overwhelming as it felt like his body was finally starting to come alive.  He was feeling free, like he was breaking free of the chains that held him back and made him feel like he was stuck in his own head. After the first dive, he could even already start to feel the pain diminish.

Evan claims that HBOT has given him an opportunity to regain and sharpen his cognitive abilities, and with a much clearer mind. He is finding that he is able to enjoy things and events more, and is allowing himself to simply be present in the moment. Evan even started exercising after noticing his energy levels were ramping up after the HBOT dives, something else he hasn’t has the desire to do in years.

Evan is extremely grateful for the positive changes HBOT has already given him, as he’s feeling like he’s finally getting his life back.

Beyond his personal testimony, Evan is also here to tell us about Warriors on the Water. Warriors on the Water is a non-profit organization that Evan started leaving the military. They run fishing charters across the entire state of Florida — everywhere from the panhandle, northeast Saint Augustine, and down the East Coast into the Keys. The organization helps veterans and military service members who are experiencing PTSD, depression or anxiety as a result of service enjoy some R&R time, while becoming one with nature and the ocean.  It’s an experience that becomes so much more than just a deep-sea fishing trip (where, by the way, they always guarantee you’re going to catch some fish because some of the best charter captains in the state are running their charters).

Once you board the boat, you start to immediately build camaraderie with the other veterans onboard, and you are then transported into this extremely positive environment where you can celebrate your triumphs and feel like you’re part of a team and a mission.  The entire experience is designed to leave a beautiful, everlasting impact on a veteran’s memory and soul. Evan explains that Warriors on the Water is running more veteran trips out of North Carolina now, and they have also have plans to grow and expand across the coast.

di Girolamo asks how the program is funded, and Evan stresses that there has unfortunately been a lack of funding for the program over the past couple of years. The program is currently seeking funding through donations and sponsorships. If you’d like to donate to the cause or sponsor a fishing tournament for this wonderful organization that helps veterans have an experience of a lifetime, please visit Warriors on the Water at https://warriorsfish.org/donate/.

Guest

Robert Beckman

Evan Fernandez

Evan served in the US Marine Corp, and is currently the President and Founder of Warriors on the Water, USA.

Warriors on the Water, USA is an official 501(c)(3) veteran, non-profit organization based in Sarasota, Florida. Their primary focus is to facilitate and fund a positive outlet through fishing charters for veterans and military service members that experience anxiety, depression, or PTSD related issues as a result of their military service. Warriors on the Water offers our military service members a chance to meet other veterans from all branches and occupations to network and team build with a sense of camaraderie.

Due to the alarming veteran suicide rate, Warriors on the Water, USA seeks to change a veteran’s perspective on life through natural remedies of healing being on the ocean and surrounded by nature. They offer veterans opportunities to view their struggles through an alternate perspective; teaching that we cannot change the things that happen, but we can change our reaction.

Warriors on the Water USA, Inc. is committed to ensuring a positive environment coupled with an amazing experience that will have an everlasting impact on the veteran. Please consider donating to this wonderful non-profit organization.

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Recent HBOT News

Clinical Trial – Haemodynamic Effects During Anorectal Surgery: a Comparison of the Jack -Knife and Lithotomy Position

Background and Goal of Study: Minimal dose of spinal hyperbaric bupivacaine is commonly
performed for adult anorectal surgery. This kind of anaesthesia can cause sinus bradycardia
and hypotension wich reason is body position, autonomic nervus system reaction, reflex
reaction even with low levels of sensory block. However, neither the publication of minimal
doses of spinal hyperbaric bupivacaine effects of haemodynamic modifications nor their
accuracy was widely discussed. The aim of the study is to make a comparison of the
haemodynamic modifications due to minimal dose of spinal hyperbaric bupivacaine for adult
anorectal surgery in lithotomy or jack knife position of steering impedance device.

Materials and Methods: Patients will be included which are over then 18 years old, who
underwent anorectal surgery of the benign pathology, requiring spinal anaesthesia, were
admitted in this clinical randomized study, hospitalized in Hospital of Lithuanian University
of Health Sciences Kaunas Clinics and agree to participate to this study (written
settlement). All patients were implicitly divided in to 4 groups by the position will be
operating (lithotomy or jack knife position and by American Society of Anaesthesiologists
(ASA) clas I-II and III-IV). Technique of anaesthesia were strictly standardized by protocol.
All patients were premedicated with oral diazepam 5mg and diclofenac 100mg 60min before
operation. After arrival in the operating theater peripheral vein 18 or 20G catheter was
inserted, infusion therapy were started with crystalloid 5-7ml/kg/hour. Standard monitoring
was used, including noninvasive arterial blood pressure (BP), electrocardiography (ECG),
heart rate, peripheral oxygenation. Circulatory changes were recorded impedance device. 2
single-neck sensors connected vertically on both sides of the neck just below the ears lobe.
Another pair of sensors attached on both sides of the chest processus xiphoid axillary line
level. Thorax allows a variable electrical current, it travels through the lowest resistance
(blood-filled aorta) and resistance is measured. For each heart contraction during changes in
blood volume and velocity. Accordingly, replacing the resistors obtained by impedance
settings.

Haemodynamic variables were recorded in patients in the use of impedance cardiograph:

1. arrives in the operating room;

2. seating on the operating table;

3. following the puncture;

4. 10 min after spinal puncture;

5. was laid in lithotomy or jack knife position;

6. in the beginning and the end of the operation;

7. patient was placed in the bed.

Each measurement was monitoring and recorded the following data( ar findings):

– Cardiac output (CO);

– Systemic vascular resistance (SVR);

– Systolic index (SI)

– Cardiac index (CI);

– Acceleration index (ACI);

– Heart rate (HR);

– Non-invasive systolic (SAP), diastolic (DAP) and mean (MAP) blood pressure;

– Peripheral oxygenation (SpO2); Patients were placed in the sitting position on the slab
(operating table) back to the doctor. Dural puncture was made at L3-L4 or L4-L5 with 27G
Tamanho spinal needle ( BBraun, Germany) by medial punction in aseptic condition, before
the punction was injected lidocaine 1% subcutaneous. 0.5% 4mg of heavy bupivacaine and
0.01% 10µg fentanyl were injected over 2 minutes after free flow of cerebrospinal fluid
was obtained. After sitting for 10 minutes ( sensory block was checked by the dermatomes
with the methods of cold sensitivity) patients were asked to lie in the position wich
operation will be done (lithotomy or jack knife position).

After 20 min. surgery was started. When anaesthesia was imperfect, 25-100µg of fentanyl was
given IV. General anaesthesia will be give in case of failure . These cases will be value
like a failure, patients will be exclude from the study.

Clinically significant hypotension will be define as a mean arterial blood pressure and heart
rate decrease of 20% below baseline values. Systolic arterial blood pressure will reduce to
90mmHG limit, intravenous ephedrine 5-10 mg will be injected. If heart rate will reduce to 45
bpm, bradycardia will be treated with atropine 0,5 mg IV.

Combined free tissue transfer for the management of composite Achilles defects: functional outcomes and patient satisfaction following thigh-based vascularized reconstruction with a neotendon construct.

Abstract:  Functional outcomes and quality-of-life measures following salvage reconstruction of composite Achilles/posterior leg defects are limited. We present our experience with combined Achilles defect reconstruction utilizing free tissue transfer with...