Immersion Pulmonary Edema--Consult?

[guyharrisonphoto]

My wife had a fairly serious IPE episode a couple of years ago (blue lips, coughing pink sputum, very difficult breathing), that resolved with overnight 02 at the hospital. The doctor at that time indicated she could keep diving. Earlier this year, she had what seemed to be a moderate occurrence of similar symptoms in Bimini, Bahamas (coughing, shortness of breath for a few hours but no sputum or blue lips), which resolved by the time we returned to the U.S. a day later.

We would like a consult to determine how this might affect her diving, or if there are precautions we can take to minimize any risk.

I know that little is known about this particular diving trauma. I saw in a DAN article that a doctor at Duke was doing a study on it. We would be happy to visit him for a consult if we can find out his name, or, if anyone knows a specialist in this area in South Florida. I see that there is a @dukedivemedicine here on the board and if you see patients please let me know by pm or by a response here.

Thanks for any input!

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

Thanks Duke Dive Medicine for responding so quickly to me!

 

[tbone1004]

was just going say contact Dr. Moon at Duke...

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

Got an appointment April 30 with Dr. Moon! Thanks T-Bone and everyone who responded.

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

Got an appointment April 30 with Dr. Moon! Thanks T-Bone and everyone who responded.

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

Just want to give a big thank-you to Dr. Moon and Duke Dive Medicine. Our experience there was just amazing. The depth of knowledge and expertise was impossible to describe, not to mention their compassion and interest in helping. Dr. Moon and his team are undoubtedly the most knowledgeable people anywhere about immersion pulmonary edema, as the studies posted in their office show.

Dr. Moon and his team of five (yes, five) people spend most of the day with Maribi, including some advanced testing. We left with a plan that looks like it will get Maribi diving again in the next few months.

Posting here and getting connected with them was the best thing that could have happened.

THANKS!

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Glad you had a good experience!

Best regards,
DDM

 

[hroark2112]

In Florida you've got Dr. Doug Ebersole...very knowledgeable doctor/diver and all around a pretty awesome guy.

 

[Germie]

I am not a doctor, nor can I advice you, but to give you some hope: I have seen 2 divers with IPE and both still dive and since that single time no problems anymore. Both where not that way that they had to visit a hospital, but the shortness of breath, coughing, symtoms of asthma, but they didn't have it, it was quite sure it was IPE. Both on rebreather. It resolved itself in a couple of hours.

 

[guyharrisonphoto]

Thanks for the experience, Germie. I think the Duke doctors have got a good plan for Maribi. It is a scary thing, especially, I am sure, on a tech or cave dive. Hers was so serious, and with a recurrence (even a milder one), that we did not want to continue diving without a consultation and we are glad we did. Honestly, if something as bad as hers happened on a tech dive, I don't know if survival would have been possible, or at a minimum it would have been a rush to the surface and then the issue of DCS. The good news is, if you make it to the surface, it can resolve with administering O2, even in cases as bad as Maribi's (although she was in hospital overnight on the O2).