Emphysema

[JAMIE MCG]

If someone has emphysema does that mean they can't dive?

 

[edjohnson66]

According to Naui, and I am sure it is the same for the others, COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) (Chronic Bronchitis and Emphysema), Is a contraindication to diving.

 

[dmdoss]

you might try this question in the med forum. I wouldnt think it would be safe for several reasons. I would think that you would be more likely to encounter DCS, since your not transfering gases normally. 1st your going to be taking short breaths. 2nd your chance of high CO2 would be greater. so on and so on.

 

[Charlie59]

Emphysema is related to weakening of the architecture of the air sacs and could increase likelihood of pneumothorax. Increased secretions could also lead to over distention of airways and diving problems.

I wouldn't recommend diving with any symptomatic lung disease.

Having said that, so many divers smoke (disgusting thought) that I am sure that many have emphysema without realizing it. Smokers aren't dropping like flys underwater (an unusual mixing of metaphors, huh).

 

[TomH]

I wouldn't think that it would be a good idea to dive with any restrictive or obstructive pulmonary impairment. Particularly with respect to COPD, its my understanding that sufferers often lose the CO2 drive that causes healthy people to breath (which would also complicate O2 therapy should a problem arise). Perhaps one of the doc's can provide more detailed info.

 

[H2Andy]

releasing inert gases from your body is dependent on the quality of your gas exchange process

i'm not sure your gas exchange is good enough once your lungs are suffering from emphysema to handle any serious diving ...

but perhaps you could do shallow and/or short dives that will limit your nitrogen intake, and avoid getting anywhere close to NDL's ...

i don't know, just thinking outloud ... i am not a doctor

 

[Charlie59]

The difficulty with obstructive lung diseases like emphysema has more to do with air trapping in abnormal units. While some very severe patients with emphysema do retain carbon dioxide, these are not the ones who could shlep scuba tanks.

There is little functional difference between emphysema and asthma and diving with asthma is not recommended.

 

[H2Andy]

The difficulty with obstructive lung diseases like emphysema has more to do with air trapping in abnormal units.

could you explain this a bit more?

 

[Charlie59]

Diving with COPD would be like a ball-valve set up. The air can go into the air sac (alveoli) easily and at depth a lot of it. As you ascend and the gas expands it is trapped by the obstruction of the airway and can produce force to "pop" the air sac and collapse the lung. The expansion of the gas in the air sac might also lead to gas being forced into the bloodstream and cause air emboli (in cases of patent foramen ovale).

These are bad things. Sounds risky to me.

 

[Charlie59]

The obstruction in obstructive lung disease (COPD is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is on exhalation primarily. Loss of structure in the lung causes the airways to collapse on exhalation and cause the air trapping.