Diving and PLSVC

[osb]

Good Morning...

My son is 14, and getting we're getting close to beginning scuba with him.

Due to a completely unrelated issue, he happened to have a echo cardiogram, and he was found to have a PLSVC, Persistent Left Superior Vena Cava.

He has no health issues whatsoever, and we were reassured that while this is a rare anomoly of the major blood vessels around the heart, it is completely harmless.

My question is whether it has any impact on diving and decompression ?

thx
OSB

 

[headsqueeze]

In my google search and pubmed literature, PLSVC (in the absence of other congential defects) does not appear to warrent additional concern for diving. However, I would be a bit concerned that the echo may have missed subclinical defects and your son may indeed be DCS prone. In other words, he may develop undeserved decompression sickness (ie following the dive tables and safe ascents yet still developes DCS). Since you are the parent, there could be a legal case against your compentency as a parent if DCS does indeed occur in your son despite following ascent rates of 30 FSW or slower per minute.

 

[DocVikingo]

Hi OSB,

We have very pleasant and knowledgeable diving cardiologist who visits the board on occasion.

He is Dr. Doug Ebersole (aka "debersole") and can be contacted through http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/members/debersole.html.

Regards,

DocVikingo

 

[osb]

Thanks DocV !

i've sent Debersole a PM.