Diving Heart Attacks
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In most instances is it the heart attack that kills the diver or the LOC and subsequent drowning?
The may be a little OT but perhaps a compelling reason for some divers to consider using a full face mask.
The may be a little OT but perhaps a compelling reason for some divers to consider using a full face mask.
This is a topic that generates a lot of excitement, both pro and con.
You're not likely to get much of a straight answer. At least not from anyone of authority. They don't dare tell you that it's not a serious problem, for fear of litigation if someone dies. For similar reasons, they tend to advocate for better than average fitness.
Like anything, you're likely to have better performance and more fun if you are in good shape, but is heart attack more likely or more serious for scuba divers? I've never seen any evidence that it is. One of the problems is this: If someone dies from a heart attack while skiing, they don't call it a "skiing accident", they call it what it is, a "heart attack". But if you have a heart attack while scuba diving, it's recorded as a "scuba accident".
There are a number of things that people die from, all the time. For some reason, it's okay if people die of these things while persuing other activities. But, the "scuba industry" feels compelled to protect people from themselves. They'll point out, rightly, that if you die of a heart attack underwater, you could be a hazard for your buddy. But if you die of a heart attack while driving down the freeway, you're a hazard to way more people. But no one restricts your driving license until you've deteriorated to an invalid.
I will admit that the scuba biz is making improvements in this area. It used to be an absolute rule that diabetics were not allowed to dive. So, millions (yes millions) of diabetic divers just didn't disclose that they were diabetic. Eventually when the scuba biz realized that there were millions of diabetic divers and that they didn't have an accident rate any worse than non-diabetic divers, the scuba biz finally relented (for the most part.)
You're not likely to get much of a straight answer. At least not from anyone of authority. They don't dare tell you that it's not a serious problem, for fear of litigation if someone dies. For similar reasons, they tend to advocate for better than average fitness.
Like anything, you're likely to have better performance and more fun if you are in good shape, but is heart attack more likely or more serious for scuba divers? I've never seen any evidence that it is. One of the problems is this: If someone dies from a heart attack while skiing, they don't call it a "skiing accident", they call it what it is, a "heart attack". But if you have a heart attack while scuba diving, it's recorded as a "scuba accident".
There are a number of things that people die from, all the time. For some reason, it's okay if people die of these things while persuing other activities. But, the "scuba industry" feels compelled to protect people from themselves. They'll point out, rightly, that if you die of a heart attack underwater, you could be a hazard for your buddy. But if you die of a heart attack while driving down the freeway, you're a hazard to way more people. But no one restricts your driving license until you've deteriorated to an invalid.
I will admit that the scuba biz is making improvements in this area. It used to be an absolute rule that diabetics were not allowed to dive. So, millions (yes millions) of diabetic divers just didn't disclose that they were diabetic. Eventually when the scuba biz realized that there were millions of diabetic divers and that they didn't have an accident rate any worse than non-diabetic divers, the scuba biz finally relented (for the most part.)
I wish we could predict heart attacks. All too often, people awaken in the early hours of the morning with the chest pain that tells them that they're in trouble. No exertion or adrenaline or anything is responsible in those cases.
On the other hand, there is definitely a perception that, if you have unknown coronary artery disease, getting into a situation where the workload on the heart is suddenly greatly increased is a way to cause an infarction. (It's definitely a way to produce angina, or chest pain!) In diving, you have the exertion of schlepping dive gear, the stress of surf entries and the work of surface swimming. In my experience, diving can involve rapid and massive increases in effort, such as when trying to get to the tag line in current. In addition, cold causes peripheral vasoconstriction, centralizing blood volume and thereby increasing preload AND afterload, and thus the work the heart muscle has to do. Cold and excitement result in increased adrenaline output, raising heart rate and workload as well.
There are a lot of things about diving that raise cardiac demand, but a fair number of them are shared by activities like skiing. On the other hand, I don't think older and very unfit people see skiing as an activity they can just walk into, whereas diving is perceived as not being that hard.
On the other hand, there is definitely a perception that, if you have unknown coronary artery disease, getting into a situation where the workload on the heart is suddenly greatly increased is a way to cause an infarction. (It's definitely a way to produce angina, or chest pain!) In diving, you have the exertion of schlepping dive gear, the stress of surf entries and the work of surface swimming. In my experience, diving can involve rapid and massive increases in effort, such as when trying to get to the tag line in current. In addition, cold causes peripheral vasoconstriction, centralizing blood volume and thereby increasing preload AND afterload, and thus the work the heart muscle has to do. Cold and excitement result in increased adrenaline output, raising heart rate and workload as well.
There are a lot of things about diving that raise cardiac demand, but a fair number of them are shared by activities like skiing. On the other hand, I don't think older and very unfit people see skiing as an activity they can just walk into, whereas diving is perceived as not being that hard.
captain
Contributor
The best thing anyone can do if they have a concern about heart attach is to do a echo stress test. DAN has guidelines on what they feel is sufficient fitness for diving and a stress test will tell you if you meet the guidelines. It won't guarantee you won't have a heart attach but it will be an indicator of how likely it may be.
I do one every year and exercise to be able to meet or surpass the guidelines.
I was diagnosed with coronary artery disease 11 years ago and had 3 bypasses done, luckily it was caught before I had a heart attach. Chest pains that started during my daily runs is what tipped me off that I had a problem.
I do one every year and exercise to be able to meet or surpass the guidelines.
I was diagnosed with coronary artery disease 11 years ago and had 3 bypasses done, luckily it was caught before I had a heart attach. Chest pains that started during my daily runs is what tipped me off that I had a problem.
JohnB47
Contributor
My SCUBA instructor, a man in his 50's but in excellent physical condition, decided to get into even better condition. He took up jogging. Within a few weeks, he had a heart attack while jogging, and died. So that is why I don't jog!
Yeah. Remember Jim Whatzizname who was an expert on jogging, wrote a couple books on fitness and blew his heart out on a jog one morning? No jogging for this old dude. I've got a four mile an hour treadmill for winters and a half mile practice track for summers. That and a couple hours at the Y in the pool each week does it for me.
SkimFisher
Contributor
There's a difference between being in good physical shape and having good cardio health. I wish more people would make that distinction. Lifting weights is NOT an indicator of good health. Yes, its better than leading a sedentary lifestyle, but it does not translate into "excellent physical condition". If he took up jogging and then died as the result of a heart attack it would lead me to believe that he had some other "stuff" going on "behind the scenes" - so to speak.
Apart from this situation I will say most of the divers I run into are some of the most unhealthy people I know - smoke/overweight/eat garbage/generally unhealthy lifestyle. Makes me wonder.
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