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Recreational diving fatalities--common causes.+.

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DocV:
Want to enjoy diving longer?

Monitor your gas, watch out for entrapment possibilities and older divers get a full physical, including an appropriate assesment of cardiac function.

"Undersea Hyperb Med. 2008 Nov-Dec;35(6):393-406.

Common causes of open-circuit recreational diving fatalities.

Denoble PJ, Caruso JL, Dear Gde L, Pieper CF, Vann RD.

Divers Alert Network, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.

Diving fatalities causes were investigated in 947 recreational open-circuit scuba diving deaths from 1992-2003. Where possible, cases were classified at each step of a four step sequence: trigger, disabling agent, disabling injury, cause of death (COD).

The most frequent adverse events within each step were: (a) triggers -- 41% insufficient gas, 20% entrapment, 15% equipment problems; (b) disabling agents--55% emergency ascent, 27% insufficient gas, 13% buoyancy trouble; (c) disabling injuries--33% asphyxia, 29% arterial gas embolism (AGE), 26% cardiac incidents; and (d) COD--70% drowning, 14% AGE, 13% cardiac incidents.

We concluded that disabling injuries were more relevant than COD as drowning was often secondary to a disabling injury."
 

Diver Rick:
Thanks Doc.  Great info.

I am an active year round diver and I am seeing my doctor soon for my annual physical.  I am 53, with a number of "risk factors".   Overweight, smoker, mild/moderate high BP (being treated with several meds)

When you say "appropriate assessment of cardiac function" please advise me precisely what test/exams I should be asking my GP to do when I go see him.

Thanks!

DocV:
Thank you, Rick.

It would be prudent that you have a cardiac stress test.  It's no big thing (about the equivalent of running an 8-minute-mile pace for a few seconds) other than it will leave you winded.

It would be ideal to achieve, or closely reach, 13 mets without chest discomfort, serious shortness of breath, EKG abnormality or other worrisome event.

Best of luck.

DocVikingo

Diver Rick:
Got it.

I've had a stress test a couple of times before, so no big deal.

Thanks!

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