Possible effects of pressure on my heart

[span98]

I am in the process of doing my o.w.1 and worried about one thing;

The doctor(not cardiologist) has said to me that it is possible that I have a slight heart murmur. I would like to know if anyone can tell me the effects diving would have on my heart, say to 30m depth. I am a healthy 20 year old male who surfs a lot and does a lot of phyiscal sports ie touch rugby, swimming regularly as well as surfing and loads in between. Would the pressure at 30m have any effect on my heart that could cause damage, or is it neglegable as I am fit and cardically strong?

Thanks,
Daniel

 

[Rick Inman]

Have you seen a diving doctor for approval to dive? That would be the first thing you should do, absolutely.

In general (and I'm not a doctor, by far), the body is a big bag of water, and water in uncompress-able in water. It's the gas in our bodies we have to worry about.

Again, I am not a medical professional (however, I did dabble in some pharmaceuticals when I was much younger )

 

[mudhole]

I am in the process of doing my o.w.1 and worried about one thing;

The doctor(not cardiologist) has said to me that it is possible that I have a slight heart murmur. I would like to know if anyone can tell me the effects diving would have on my heart, say to 30m depth. I am a healthy 20 year old male who surfs a lot and does a lot of phyiscal sports ie touch rugby, swimming regularly as well as surfing and loads in between. Would the pressure at 30m have any effect on my heart that could cause damage, or is it neglegable as I am fit and cardically strong?

Thanks,
Daniel

The simple answer is water pressure will have no effect on the heart, pressure only affects the air filled cavities, like your lungs and sinuses. . .BUT, YOU MUST, be checked out for an opening between chambers of the heart that could allow disolved Nitrogen gases to cause the bends by not outgasing properly. It sounds bad, and it can be. Can I or anyone else diagnose this. . . no. We can only recomend that you see a cardiologist that has experience with divers. . . or a cardiologist that will talk with the Diving Accident Network for consultation for your very individual case.

Click on the top of any page on the "Forums" button, and scroll down the list of forums till you find not only the "DAN" forum but all the areas of interest to any new diver. Your problem may not be a problem or it could be a great risk, You need to be examined by a pro, not those of us on the internet.

 

[TSandM]

First off, the mere fact of immersion, though it does change some hemodynamics, is not going to strain or damage the heart. Scuba does involve exertion (much of it schlepping gear, but some of it surface swimming or swimming into current) so one should be able to tolerate moderate exertional stress before considering diving. Exertion, in a healthy 20 year old, is not going to damage the heart, however -- It's good for it!

Now, as to murmurs. A murmur is simply a reflection of turbulent flow. Some murmurs indicate anatomic abnormalities of the heart chambers or valves, but many do not. The condition that mudhole is concerned about is called a "patent foramen ovale", which is a persistent opening between the two low pressure chambers of the heart. PFOs are common -- I have seen estimates of 15 to 25 percent of the population. They generally do NOT produce a murmur, simply because there is little if any flow across them under normal circumstances. PFOs have been associated with a higher risk of DCS, but the association is not strong enough for anyone to recommend that all divers should be screened for the problem. One of the issues is that the best test for a PFO is a trans-esophageal echocardiogram, which is a rather involved procedure and one which is not without any risk. It's also operator-dependent and fairly expensive.

It is not possible for me to tell you over the internet whether you should be concerned about a murmur or not. If you and your family physician are worried, referral to a cardiologist for a simple echocardiogram will probably resolve the issue.

 

[rawls]

The doctor(not cardiologist) has said to me that it is possible that I have a slight heart murmur.

Did the physician refer you to a cardiologists to follow up? It would surprise me if the physician did not consult a cardiologist if he or she thought you had a heart murmur.

Our organs are made up mostly of water, and water, for all practical purposes, does not compress. In other words you do not suffer from heart squeeze in diving. You only suffer from a squeeze in air spaces...such as your middle ear, sinuses mask, dry suit. Your heart does not fall into this category. So as Doc says...with diving, the effect on your heart basically deals with the exertional aspect of diving and not pressure. With the aerobic activity secondary to your activities on land, you will doubtfully have problems with the exertional aspect of diving. The depth of a dive isn't an issue. In any event...I would encourage you to see a cardiologist to get a definitive diagnosis.

Doc...What is schlepping???

 

[Cacia]

I think it's Yiddish.

what? you don't schlep in NC?

 

[vladimir]

Yes, it's of Yiddish origin, but it's probably considered English by now. Everybody here in NY schleps. Reading TS&M's posts will expand your vocabulary after a while.

 

[DiverBizz]

Easy answer...schedule to see a cardiologist. You can never tell what could happen even if you are in the middle of a Rugby game. Since you surf, etc. you are in shape but that can be misleading. I am sure you have heard of high school and college athletes just dropping without warning. Just have it checked. This is a great place to learn about the squeeze effects and other important scuba issues but I agree with TS and M, go get it checked.

 

[TSandM]

Just to reiterate -- The vast majority of soft murmurs in otherwise healthy young adults are what we call "flow murmurs" and do not indicate cardiac pathology at all. A good physician should be able to listen to the murmur, note its quality, volume, and where in the cardiac cycle it occurs, and give you an idea of whether the murmur is one which needs further investigation, or which most likely does not.

 

[tridacna]

Yes, it's of Yiddish origin, but it's probably considered English by now. Everybody here in NY schleps. Reading TS&M's posts will expand your vocabulary after a while.

Oy vey. TS&M is such a schlepper! Reading her posts makes me farklempt.