The team were ‘heavily sedated’ – Australian diver

By The Thaiger

 

PHOTO: thewest.com.au

 

The team of 13 rescued from the Tham Luang caves last week were ‘heavily sedated’ to assist in their successful recovery and to avoid panicking.

 

One of two Australian experts who were with the Mu Pa football team and helped in last week’s rescue from the Tham Luong cave in Chiang Rai says the boys and their coach were heavily sedated during the extraction operation. Their revelations were aired on Australia’s national broadcaster ‘Four Corners’ program.

 

Retired Perth vet Craig Challen spoke to the program about how he worked closely with his friend and fellow expert cave diver, anaesthetist Dr Richard Harris, to medically assess the boys and their coach before they were each extracted by the rescue teams – up to one hundred divers along the exit route with ‘triage’ emergency medical stations set up along the way to check the team members along their journey out of the cave.

 

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/news/chiang-rai/the-team-were-heavily-sedated-australian-diver

 

-- © Copyright The Thaiger 2018-07-17

Australian diver admits boys and coach sedated in rescue

By Thai PBS

 

 

One of the two Australians who were with the Wild Boars football team and helped them escape safely from the Tham Luong cave in Chiang Rai has revealed the boys and their coach were heavily sedated during the extraction operation, according to ABC.

 

Retired Perth vet Craig Challen explained how he worked closely with his friend and fellow expert cave diver, Adelaide anaesthetist Dr Richard Harris, to medically assess the boys and their coach and get them ready for the rescue operation, in an exclusive interview with the ABC’s Four Corners program.

 

In his first in-depth interview about the rescue operation, Dr Challen confirmed that the boys were heavily sedated.

 

Full story: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/australian-diver-admits-boys-coach-sedated-rescue/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2018-07-17

 

 

 

Well, the heavy sedation worked didn't it. Mission accomplished successfully. Congratulations again to the rescue team!

4 minutes ago, Topdoc said:

Well, the heavy sedation worked didn't it. Mission accomplished successfully. Congratulations again to the rescue team!

+ 1, good job 

As pretty much all the divers said, the biggest risk in bringing out inexperienced divers, under water for a long period was panic. A single child losing it underwater could have lost his life and possibly that of rescue teams too, so knocking them out was probably in their best interests. I suspect given they are all alive and well, none of them are going to be complaining.

Damned fortunate to have an experienced cave diver who was also an anesthetist.

Yep, great to see everybody got out safe and in one piece,.... rock'n roll, boys...... 

Could they of done it otherwise?

Well done on a job well done.

?

Very wise sedating them

28 minutes ago, davethailand said:

Could they of done it otherwise?

Perhaps with a submarine yes. But it seemed they had great experts that knew what they were doing and got the job done in what was a very risky rescue. These doctors arranged diplomatic immunity beforehand just in case things went wrong.

 

 

What I dont understand is why Prayut felt the need to lie about this. Possibly because he is physically unable to tell the truth to the Thai people, regardless of the circumstances?

Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

3 minutes ago, brucec64 said:

What I dont understand is why Prayut felt the need to lie about this. Possibly because he is physically unable to tell the truth to the Thai people, regardless of the circumstances?

 

Perhaps because it makes the great escape rescue story a bit less glamorous.

 

 

Nowhere in the attached article can I see where it says that the boys were 'heavily sedated'. 

 

The quote that I do see is:

"They did have some sedation to keep them calm, because the worst thing that could happen would be one of the guys panicking."

 

IMO, some sedation and heavily sedated are two completely different things. Still, regardless, it was a life saving operation, if it was necessary, then it was necessary. Thankfully all completed successfully.

 

Perhaps more unsettling was that these comments came from an ex-vet......................

As any practice of Medicine by a non Thai registered practitioner is a criminal offence I would think it only sensible that the embassy ensured that the rescuers were protected.

Edited July 17, 20187 yr by harrry

The ex vet was the diving partner of the Australian doctor.  As they had worked together on several rescues I would think it very reasonable that they worked on this as Harris needed someone he knew and could rely on who also knew how each other worked and reacted.

 

It certainly explains why they were all whisked away without saying a word of even giving a wave to those waiting outside, as it would have been obvious they were totally zonked. I totally understand why they did it, and why they didn't let anyone outside know what they were doing. They knew what they were doing, got them out alive and that is more important than any extreme measures they may have been forced into.

3 minutes ago, ThreeEyedRaven said:

It certainly explains why they were all whisked away without saying a word of even giving a wave to those waiting outside, as it would have been obvious they were totally zonked. I totally understand why they did it, and why they didn't let anyone outside know what they were doing. They knew what they were doing, got them out alive and that is more important than any extreme measures they may have been forced into.

Right on the money. 

11 minutes ago, harrry said:

The ex vet was the diving partner of the Australian doctor.  As they had worked together on several rescues I would think it very reasonable that they worked on this as Harris needed someone he knew and could rely on who also knew how each other worked and reacted.

 

I know that, it was a tongue in cheek comment at the back of a serious misguiding article title.

The big liar said they were given a sedation like they give sharp shooters in the thai military to help them perform better?

Well lets hope thailand never needs sharp shooters.

9 minutes ago, quadperfect said:

The big liar said they were given a sedation like they give sharp shooters in the thai military to help them perform better?

Well lets hope thailand never needs sharp shooters.

It may well have been the same drug, just in different amounts, 

1 hour ago, chrisinth said:

Nowhere in the attached article can I see where it says that the boys were 'heavily sedated'. 

Maybe we are reading different posts or articles, the statment of being 'heavily sedated' is mentioned 3-4 times in the original Post and the story it links to.. 

 

"One of two Australian experts who were with the Mu Pa football team and helped in last week’s rescue from the Tham Luong cave in Chiang Rai says the boys and their coach were heavily sedated during the extraction operation. Their revelations were aired on Australia’s national broadcaster ‘Four Corners’ program."

Edited July 17, 20187 yr by Peterw42

12 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

Maybe we are reading different posts or articles, the statment of being 'heavily sedated' is mentioned 3-4 times in the original Post and the story it links to.. 

 

"One of two Australian experts who were with the Mu Pa football team and helped in last week’s rescue from the Tham Luong cave in Chiang Rai says the boys and their coach were heavily sedated during the extraction operation. Their revelations were aired on Australia’s national broadcaster ‘Four Corners’ program."

Perhaps I wrote that wrong. You are correct, the article does say that, but the quotes from the person relating the information doesn't.

The diving masks must have been thoroughly tested.  While sedated, those being rescued would have no way of telling the rescuers they were in trouble.   That would be an interesting part of the story.  The adherence to strict safety measures and their preparation. 

Black cat, white cat, as long as it catches mice, its good cat. Well done - it worked.

i can comprehend how this is even an issue worth discussing ad nauseum, given the success rate was 100 percent.

 Now the witch hunt starts in the media, again.

I had plenty of operations in my life and I've always signed up for a full sedation, or general anesthesia. I was fully awake at one OP with a spinal anesthesia and I didn't like it. 

 

 

  These anesthetists usually know what they are doing and considering how difficult it was for the rescuers it was much better to have sedated kids.

 

  Kids who can't even swim, in such a situation, would of course panic. 

 

  

I was heavily sedated too.

Maybe I'll go get heavily sedated again this afternoon

3 hours ago, Topdoc said:

 

Perhaps because it makes the great escape rescue story a bit less glamorous.

Yeah doesn't sit so well with the hero narrative. Makes sense they put them under, though.

43 minutes ago, yellowboat said:

The diving masks must have been thoroughly tested.  While sedated, those being rescued would have no way of telling the rescuers they were in trouble.   That would be an interesting part of the story.  The adherence to strict safety measures and their preparation. 

They got kid's of similar size and dragged them up and down the local swimming pool.

Not surprising.  A 5km dive in the dark through difficult squeezes.  Just the circumstances for panic in inexperienced divers.  And just the thing to require sedation to prevent.    They couldnt risk a panic attack.  And, it worked!!!!!!!!!!!!!!