Punctured Lung

[O2Addict]

A friend of mine has been told he cannot diver as 15 years ago he broke 3 ribs and punctured his lung. All has healed now, but during his Scuba course he was told he cannot dive due to his prior injury.

Is this the case? Where is it best to find out more, DAN?

 

[Saturation]

A friend of mine has been told he cannot diver as 15 years ago he broke 3 ribs and punctured his lung. All has healed now, but during his Scuba course he was told he cannot dive due to his prior injury.

Is this the case? Where is it best to find out more, DAN?

DAN, yes.

If there are scars left by the accident in the lungs itself, its likely your friend is at high risk for air trapping. If the lung looks normal by chest x-ray, there is hope. To clear said diver to dive, he needs a lung specialists clearance to dive a CT or MRI scan concentrating on the site of the prior injury and a normal pulmonary function test.

http://www.scuba-doc.com/spntpnu.htm

 

[Mako Mark]

My I discussed this with my pet Hyperbaric Doc, and he said the same thing, that scar tissue can cause lung obstruction/restriction and the associated risk of AGE goes way up (as with asthmatics).