Scuba Diving

[sensei Ade]

Folks,
Me again :smile2: Got another one for you...Don't know if this subject has been addressed before but I'll raise it anyway: What's everyone's view on scuba diving? Can we do it? Are there limits to how deep we can go? To be honest I'm a novice at this and have only ever done 1 introductory dive in the Seychelles and I didn't go any deeper than 12 metres approx.

My wife and I are due to go back to the Seychelles in 3 weeks time to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary and we fancy doing another introductory dive, but this time of course I'd be doing this 9 months after AVR surgery and I'm not sure whether I should be doing it. What do you reckon? I really appreciate any feedback here. My recovery has gone really well and I'm pretty fit now doing karate, field hockey, gym sessions and swimming every week.

All the best

sensei

 

[Greg a]

Found this for you

http://www.valvereplacement.org/forums/showthread.php?36988-What-are-the-sport-limitations-after-having-the-Ascending-aorta-and-AV-replaced&p=480697#post480697

 

[bdryer]

sensei

Greg posted a thread which I started. Since then,I have searched intently for scuba restrictions with a MAV. I have found nothing to say ya or nay. What does concern me, is the physiology of body compression associated with depth. At 1 atmosphere [10 meters or 33 feet] your lungs are at 1/2 volume. Soft tissue is dramatically compressed also. A MHV is non compressible but the heart tissue is. I'm thinking as the heart muscle compresses what happens to the stitching holding the valve in situ. Does the stitching pull away from the sewing cuff, damaging the heart muscle encapsulating the MHV and disturb the integrity of the implant. I'm no longer scuba diving until my question can be answered.

 

[sensei Ade]

Hey Greg,
Thanks very much!

 

[sensei Ade]

Hmmmmm, interesting one this. Thnx very much for this, bdryer. Being a novice I wouldn't really go much deeper than 1 atmosphere but I think it's worth me dropping a text to my surgeon to se what he thinks. I'll keep you posted. In case you're wondering, his name is Dr Inderpaul Birdi. Very well known all round Europe. Take care.

sensei