Originally posted by sky50960
I am a medical doctor
I always request : *complete physical/patient history
*ear nose throate investigation by specialist
*ECG and EEG
*Effort test (ECG) if over 40
*Chest x-ray
*Bood examen looking for red blood cels, sugar, cholesterol...
that is a lot...But i sleep well whit that
Notice i never did those cheks for my self
Are there other doctors out there???
What do you think???
FA
Whilst I am not a physician, I am a pharmaceutical researcher with a VERY good knowledge of human physiology, and dive physiology, I would say that, in terms of covering yourself you have got pretty much everything there, and in many ways you are OTT.
Most of the people don't need the vast majority of the tests.
EEG - electroencephalogram - there is no need to look at some-ones brain before they go diving! there is pretty much nothing that can happen, if something shows up on an EEG it should most certainly be in their notes!
Blood - Again, this is I would suggest an un-necessary luxury - there is very little that a blood test will tell you about their fitness to dive. It can give you lifestyle information (eg cholesterol level, but this isn't a contr-indication for diving - an excercise tolerance test is far better)
ENT exam - totally un-necessary - If their timpanic membrane is OK, and they can clear their ears (eg on an aircraft) then as a basis for diving they should be OK. Mebe warning divers to listen carefully to what they are taught about clearing their ears wouldn't be a bad thing.
Chest X-rays - These were recently dropped by the BSAC as a medical requirement there was quite some debate about this, I will try and find some more information out for you on the arguements from both sides.
ECG and Exercise tolerance - good idea - in many ways if you can pass the ECG and exercise tolerance then the other tests such as the blood ones are not really necessary.
When I had my medical for my PADI DM card, The doc checked my ears, listened to my chest, and took my BP. That was it. Nothing else. If you know the patient this is probably enough, although if it is some-one you have never seen before then extras such as the excercise tolerance test and the ECG are probably quite good also.
From the doctors I know and work with, they are all pretty capable of drawing an opinion of some-one from the notes, and a pretty basic exam. Anything further is not really necessary. Equally, if as your first guess they aren't capable (eg a history of asthma) then surely it is better to send them off to a specialist dive doc than put them through all the tests, and then still be woried about it?
Just .02
Jon T
