Any doctor that says a person 50 or older is OK to dive could later be accused of putting them at risk because the stats show that diving can put you in stress situations that can bring on heart attacks that could be recovered from it the person was not immersed in water.
I have mostly refrained from replying to the later posts in this thread until now, but I can't restrain myself any longer. While the comment above seems to be correct, it's just not the way medicine works, whether we get sued or not.
My responsibility as a diving physician is to evaluate a member's safety for diving.
Relative contraindications are different from
absolute contraindications.
Sure, lots of divers over 50 (I am 68 and dive hard) likely have cardiovascular disease. That doesn't make it a contraindication to diving. Is it a contraindication to enjoying your life?
No, what really occurs is the physician evaluates the divers condition, counsels the diver about the relative risk that he is taking on by a exerting himself underwater, and documents that discussion in the medical record. If the doctor doesn't think the patient is at significant risk for a sudden cardiovascular event, then it's reasonable to sign the form, having documented that it's the diver's decision how far to push himself. When the lawsuit by the family inevitably occurs, the court is shown that the physician had a discussion with the responsible diver who made his own risk/benefit decision.
Yes, there are medical conditions that I will not sign off on , no matter how "normal" the diver may appear in my office. That's because the relative risk is too high on my personal scale. What that doesn't mean, is that I won't sign off on garden-variety medical conditions which may come and go, or which are minimally likely to occur while underwater, merely requiring that the diver use some judgment before deciding when to splash.
Yes, the form is liability protection for the training shop. Yes the medical form may be liability protection for the boat operator for those companies, or in those countries that require it. But most important, having a "Yes" box which necessitates a medical evaluation is education for the diver. If the condition is "signed off" then it is most likely accompanied by a discussion in the office as to what precautions the diver should take.The standard explanatory pages which accompany the diving medical form are quite educational, even for a non-hyperbaric medicine physician, and enable them to do a fairly good job of advising their patient regarding the risks of what they're about to undertake. If the condition is complex, then a referral to a diving medical specialist might be appropriate, though this is not often necessary.
Of course there are always the stories, like the GP who advised earplugs for the diver worried about an ear infection, but those kinds of things are the exception, rather than the rule. A simple read of the explanatory pages with the medical form is enough to clue most physicians in to the basic physiology that is at issue.
The last sentence in the DAN article wasn't: "don't dive!" It was,
"The best way to prevent SCD is thus to prevent heart disease and to maintain physical fitness and wellness as you age."
My 2¢? Be honest in checking yes. Get the exam. Bring the explanatory pages along for your doctor. Don't settle for a 10 minute visit.
Dive safe!
Diving Doc
