Anticoagulants and Diving

[Buadhai]

Now scuba diving is not usually a high aerobic activity. But it can be in the situations I outlined in a previous post. I would think minimizing the opportunities for someone with Afib to go anaerobic during scuba diving would be a good idea.

Yeah, I''m not down there to swim, so I'm generally a pretty laid-back diver. I do have my moments of rapid finning. I'm sure I can suppress those Aquaman urges.

After reading the article cited above I decided to dig a little deeper. There are many academic papers out there on AF and endurance athletes. A few are original research but most are metadata studies where the academics are trying to make sense of the data gathered by others. There seems to be little consensus and lots of controversy about both causes and what to do. Makes it frustrating for me and, I'm sure, for treating physicians.

Another concern is side effects. I'm taking Losartan and Edoxaban. Side effects include:

• Weight gain - 2 kilos in 3 weeks which is huge for me
• Constipation - I eat so much fiber that I'm never constipated. This has been both uncomfortable and troubling
• Increased blood pressure - While I expected BP reduction to take a while I didn't expect an increase.

So strange.

 

[Centrals]

I hope all those side effects are just temporary in the beginning.
All the best.

 

[Buadhai]

I hope all those side effects are just temporary in the beginning.
All the best.

Indeed. If I continue to gain two kilos a month I’ll be over a 100 by Christmas.

 

[Buadhai]

I saw the cardiologist yesterday. He said that since my one episode of AF was symptom free, I could go ahead and dive. He also said that neither of the meds I'm taking would be a problem for diving.

I asked him about endurance athletes and AF. He replied that AF is an idiopathic condition and that it is impossible to pinpoint a cause, but that the endurance athletics was "possible". He didn't seem much concerned about it.

So, the good news is that I'm cleared to dive. On to the North Andaman in late February for four days of diving with the Tapana Catamaran.

 

[RobPNW]

I'm not a cardiologist but I have had heart issues. I don't understand why they have you on an anticoagulant. What does that have to do with fibrillation and heart rate? Usually, an anticoagulant is for people after they've had a stent or something and they don't want a blood clot forming there until the body adapts to it. What am I missing?

 

[Buadhai]

I'm not a cardiologist but I have had heart issues. I don't understand why they have you on an anticoagulant. What does that have to do with fibrillation and heart rate? Usually, an anticoagulant is for people after they've had a stent or something and they don't want a blood clot forming there until the body adapts to it. What am I missing?

During an atrial fibrillation episode blood clots can form in the heart because of the way fibrillation agitates the blood. When the fibrillation stops the clots can escape the heart and cause a stroke. The anticoagulant is to stop the clots from forming.

I have a friend who had a single AF incident. Clots formed. He had a stroke and is now hemispherically blind.

 

[RobPNW]

During an atrial fibrillation episode blood clots can form in the heart because of the way fibrillation agitates the blood. When the fibrillation stops the clots can escape the heart and cause a stroke. The anticoagulant is to stop the clots from forming.

I have a friend who had a single AF incident. Clots formed. He had a stroke and is now hemispherically blind.

Okay thanks, good to know!

 

[RobPNW]

Since this condition seems related to the electrical firing of contractions, I'd be interested to know whether any studies have found it correlated with imbalances between calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium, since those are the primary electrolytes associated with heart functions.

 

[RobPNW]

I'd also imagine a beta blocker might be beneficial since it subdues adrenaline in the heart, and I can only imagine that when this condition happens it would be helpful to calm the heart.

 

[Searcaigh]

(BTW, the Losartan has had zero effect on my blood pressure. Since starting the medication the average is 138/76. For all of last year, the average was 134/78.)

For somebody your age that is not high