(6/28/2005) Heart Attacks common in accidents?

[Bibendum]

Please forgive the newbie question, and feel free to redirect this post elsewhere if it is more appropriate for a different forum.

In reading the boards over the past couple months since I have gotten certified, I have noticed that several recent accidents have involved divers suffering heart attacks while diving. This seems to be a fairly common accident and I was wondering if the risk of heart attack while diving is that great, or if it is just a coincidence that a few recent accidents have been a result of this?

Thanks.

 

[Rick Murchison]

The diving population is aging. Whenever a heart attack occurs to a diver and he dies while diving, it generally gets reported as a diving accident - unlike the many who die on the golf course from heart attacks, where they are reported as heart attacks, not "golfing accidents."
It's a little semantics game the news bubbas play. If you examine the numbers there are very few diving deaths (about 100/year in the States) even including those heart attacks, when compared to other activities. But because of the public's perception of our sport, any diving death gets front page treatment, while folks who die of the same ailment but doing something else are just on the obit page.
Rick

 

[Bibendum]

The diving population is aging. Whenever a heart attack occurs to a diver and he dies while diving, it generally gets reported as a diving accident - unlike the many who die on the golf course from heart attacks, where they are reported as heart attacks, not "golfing accidents."
It's a little semantics game the news bubbas play. If you examine the numbers there are very few diving deaths (about 100/year in the States) even including those heart attacks, when compared to other activities. But because of the public's perception of our sport, any diving death gets front page treatment, while folks who die of the same ailment but doing something else are just on the obit page.
Rick

Ahhh, so diving falls prey to the same reporting predicament that climbing does. John and Jane Doe go hiking and decide to do some scrambling up a boulder field, fall and die.....even though they technically weren't climbing and weren't climbers - because of the environment it's get reported as a climbing fatality.

Thanks for the information Rick.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

We had a guy locally who geared up and then felt bad decided to sit the dive out, took his gear off and then had a fatal heart attack. This was considered to be a "diving" accident and it really had very little to do with diving.

On the other hand, if you have a heart attack on a golf course, your odds of survival are a lot better than if you have one 60 feet underwater. If you have anything other than a minor heart attack underwater, the odds are pretty good that you are going to die.

 

[Cudabait]

I think, correct me if I'm wrong.....that the probability is death in the event of any major heart attack. Also, I agree with Rick, 100 per cent.

 

[Dr. Doug Ebersole]

As a cardiologist, I would agree with Rick that the major problem is one of reporting deaths from heart attacks while diving as "diving accidents" but not reporting "golfing accidents", etc. in combination with an aging diving population.

However, the vast majority of patients who suffer heart attacks topside and make it to a hosptial survive them with mortality rates of <10% (even lower with early aggressive therapy). Even patients presenting in cardiogenic shock at the time of their heart attack will survive about 50% of the time. The problem is a lot of people die from the initial event due to rhythm problems and never make it to the hospital. One of these events underwater will result in drowning.

 

[Cudabait]

Good thing to know...thanks, Debersole.

Regards,

 

[Dr. Doug Ebersole]

You're welcome.

Doug

 

[PlanoDvr1]

Debersole,
I have heard that when you are experiencing a heart attack that one thing that could help is coughing, triggers the heart, keeps it moving? Or should I chalk this up as a myth?

doug

 

[Dr. Doug Ebersole]

Mostly myth. If patients go into ventricular tachycardia (a dangerous fast rhythm) during a procedure in the cardiac cath lab we will often have them cough as this can sometimes buy you a few seconds of consciousness before they pass out. Rarely the coughing actually converts them back to normal rhythm -- RARELY! I wouldn't count on this as a therapeutic strategy.