Angina - How does it effect diving ?

[Laura0314]

My friend is in the process of training to be a dive instructor.

Then he had angina attack. He wants to scuba dive again -
and he wants to continue on with his instructor training....
is that a realistic goal ? What advice can you offer us ?

Below is his data. His operation was on Saturday, and on Monday he was snorkeling in the ocean again. How soon before he can dive ? Some of his doctors say 2 weeks.... but the medical health insurence people consider him a high risk.

Please write with your thoughts !

CORONARY CT A

CAS is Zero
HR is 55bpm
LVEF is 57%
Left coronary artery is dominant
RCA small size, short segment.
No luminal stenosis
LM give off LAD and large LCX
LAD gives off one diagonal branch (D)
There is a smooth segmental luminal narrowing at proximal protion, about 50- 60% diameter stenosis and 1.7cm in length.
LCX gives off large OM1, small OM2 and small PD
LV myocardium; no hypodense wall or hypokinesia.
The technique is adequate.

IMPRESSION;

CAS is zero
LVEF is 57%
Left coronary artery dominant
Proximal segmental LAD narrowing, about 50-60% diameter stenosis and 1.7cm in length.
RCA, LCX and branches appear normal.

This is the procedure to fix it…….

http://www.medicinenet.com/coronary_angioplasty/article.htm


He is on the following medication:

x1 per day aspirin 80mg ASPILET…… for life……
x1 per day Plavix 75mg CLOPIDOGREL for minimum 1 year

 

[fisherdvm]

I see the instructor as someone who is supposed to be fit. Can't see him rescuing me if he's going to have angina while doing it. Certainly, after bypass surgery, he might return to diving and instruction if he is in good shape.

 

[Garrobo]

I would follow my doctor's advice not a bunch of dudes in a diver's forum.

 

[Rick Inman]

Mod. Post.

I would follow my doctor's advice not a bunch of dudes in a diver's forum.

However, those in the medical profession who also scuba dive might be able to contribute some scuba specific insight, therefore I have moved this thread into the Diving Medicine forum.

 

[Bratface]

I understand your concern for your friend, but this is not an appropriate place to seek information about his health. He needs to see a cardiologist who is recommended by DAN. He needs a doctor who is familiar with diving, and hopefully, is a diver himself.
As a medical professional, I also have concerns about posting his private health information on line. Without his permission, this is a violation of the HIPPA laws.

Yeah, I sound like an old mother hen, but my own best friend (also in the medical profession) recently told a piece-of-crap-man whom she was casually dating about a health problem of mine. Our friendship is terminated at this point until she gets her act together, and she also had to get an arrest warrent for cyber stalking after she broke up with him. (Oh sure, it's great having a crazy person knowing personal information about me).

Don't hurt your friendship with your friend, and encourage your friend to get the information he needs from a doctor. And a second opinion if necessary. Good luck to him.

 

[TSandM]

Hopefully, debersole, who is a cardiologist, will weigh in here.

I do hope you had your friend's permission to post his cath results . . .

If the lesion was angioplastied and the cardiologist is happy with the results, I would think this person should be able to return to diving after an appropriate waiting period to be sure the repair is stable. I would even wonder if the pain that prompted the study was caused by the lesion they treated, but nobody can know that, really.

What I don't know is what the cardiologists would recommend for an appropriate waiting period.

 

[rakkis]

As a medical professional, I also have concerns about posting his private health information on line. Without his permission, this is a violation of the HIPPA laws.

Break of trust, yes. HIPPA violation, no. Just chimming in to clear a common misconception about HIPPA:

From the US Department of Health and Human Services:
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/HIPAAGenInfo/...eredEntity.asp

The Administrative Simplification standards adopted by Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) apply to any entity that is

* a health care provider that conducts certain transactions in electronic form (called here a "covered health care provider").
* a health care clearinghouse.
* a health plan

His friend is none of the covered entitied under HIPPA legislation. Hence, no violation occured.

 

[Bratface]

Thank you rakkis. No violation? Without the friend's permission it is.

 

[rakkis]

Thank you rakkis. No violation? Without the friend's permission it is.

Not a HIPPA violation.

 

[rakkis]

The more salient point is that HIPPA does not apply to laura0314 since she is neither:

a) a health care provider
b) a health care clearinghouse.
c) a health plan

Even IF she gave us her friend FBI dosier. HIPPA does not apply.