Egyptian Red Sea (Sharm) Diving Fatality

[Crowley]

As always - physicians please feel free to correct my physiology!

As I understand it PE is a blockage in a pulmonary artery, not to be confused with Arterial Gas Embolism (or Air Embolism), which is often a result of lung overexpansion injuries. The article posted by broadreach suggests a common cause of PE is a Deep Vein Thrombosis which suddenly travels from the leg and ends up lodged in a lung artery.The lady in question was 59 and I mean no disrespect whatsoever by referring to her age, but the DVT is more common in those who are not-so-young-as-they-used-to-be. Pulmonary Edema (Oedema) is, I believe, associated with high blood pressure - a pre-existing medical condition that leads to a more serious problem, rather like the DVT and subsequent PE.

I'm not trying to argue the case, just trying to get as much information as possible from the article. It does not, for example, say that everything was fine until they hit 30 metres, it says:

"After descending for several meters I checked with Sue that everything was OK and she signaled me to continue diving. When I reached a depth of 30 meters I noticed that she continued descending fast, I tried to signal her but she did not respond."

So all was good after several metres, but by 30 metres, she was already in trouble. Not saying it's not Narcosis, but to do nothing would be an odd reaction. The dive guide surfaced them slowly and safely, and therefore if it was indeed a lung overexpansion injury, there MUST have been some other problem to cause it. PE is a blockage of an artery, not a blockage in the airways themselves. Perhaps the condition was underlying, perhaps it was spontaneous. I just don't think it can be easily explained as "narcosis and lung overexpansion"

Anyway, next time I see Dr. Adel (the egyptian physicist who treated her), I will ask him.

Sorry for the ramble, not much to do this evening!

Cheers,

C.

 

[ericgoesscuba]

Sue Kahana was a friend and a fellow diver. She and her husband were diving at least once a month and doing advanced courses. She was a careful and cautious diver.

She died of a rupture of her thoracic artery. It was concluded that she could have died at her desk in the hospital where she worked if she was not in surgery within 15 minutes of the rupture. It was also concluded that this was not a diving accident, but a pre-existing medical condition unknown to Sue, her family, and her doctors.

She was a great lady, and died doing what she loved to do.

 

[Crowley]

Hi Eric - thank you for the information; I am sorry for your loss nad I hope I haven't caused offence in anything I wrote above... just a discussion without all the facts.

Thanks again,

Crowley

 

[ericgoesscuba]

No offense taken. We should all merit a rich and full life, like Sue had, and be taken from this Earth doing what we love to do. - Eric

I wrote this for Sue and her family and sent to my mailing list after her funeral. Perhaps the folks here at Scubaboard would appreciate it.

-------

Sue Kahana, a good friend, former Efrat Networks technician, and fellow member of the scuba diving community passed away at age 59. All of us who knew Sue mourn her untimely death from a defect in her lungs during a scuba dive on Jackson's Reef, not far from Sharm El Shek, Egypt.

Sue had a way with people. She loved them; she loved talking to them, and helping them. Sue could explain the most complex computer stuff to non-technical types in language that they too could understand. She was well respected at The Computer Authority at the Hadassah Medical School operated by the Hebrew University, where she was the Manager of Technical Support. Her life was about being there for her family, friends, the people with whom she worked, and her community.

Najman, Sue's husband, shared with us at the Shiva (the week of mourning following the funeral) that Sue was a "fish out of water," always a swimmer, and a good one. So, it was natural that when she and Najman had more time, after all of the kids were married off, that they would learn to scuba dive together. Sue beamed in photo album pictures of she and Najman preparing for their next dive or coming from the water. It was her element and she enjoyed every minute.

As a scuba diver myself, I discovered Sue and Najman's interest in diving, by chance, when I started to organize a scuba safari last Summer. Sue saw my posting on the local chat list and told me that not only were she and Najman diving, but they even belonged to a group that was planning a "scuba safari" for August. I joined up and spent a week in Sinai in the group sharing two boats with Sue and Najman, and seventeen of our Israeli scuba buddies. We all agreed that the trip was amazing and would do it again as soon as we could.

From that point, I got to know Sue and Najman for their diving interest, as they quickly advanced through their SSI (Scuba Schools International) courses to the level of "master scuba diver" with three stars. They made an effort to head to Eilat once a month for more dive time and instruction. Up until last week, Sue and Najman had made over 80 dives together. They were cautious divers, always understanding that their sport hobby was potentially dangerous. They spared no expense on equipment and training to make their passion safe.

Contrary to what was reported in the news, Sue's death was not an accident from poor planning and execution of the dive. It was not from any mistake or malpractice by the dive master and his crew. Sue died from a rupture in her thoracic artery during her decent into the waters of Sinai. In the end, what is known is that only surgery within minutes after the rupture would have saved her life.

Sue Kahana is survived by her husband, Najman, her children; Natan, Yael, Tamar, and Michal, their spouses, her twelve grandchildren, and her sister, Ellen. All of us at Efrat Networks will miss Sue. She touched us in many ways - may her memory always be for a blessing.

 

[Tricia]

Thanks Eric, for that lovely post! I only hope I will get a similar one if I "go" while diving.

Sue sounds like a great lady - anybody that can explain computer stuff to non-techies like me is a joy.

BTW, I had a friend in high school who died in a similar way while skiiing - when the rupture happens, there is little anyone can do for you. It's just the way it is.

Thank you for clearly this up to the rest of us (and in memory of Sue) that this accident had NOTHING to do with diving skills and experience. It was just one of those sad things that happened.

Trish