HSE MEDICAL QUERY

[diverinstructor]

If someone has had a 'stent' in their heart, could they pass the HSE medical? Is there a limit of stents - i.e more than one may be a problem or does this not matter. Only interested. A colleague has several stents but is thinking of helping out at a BSAC School and so would have to undergo the HSE medical.
Can anyone of a Docterish nature please advise?
Thanks

[cornish instructor]

Stents should not be a problem. A Cornish BSAC school has an instructor with stents and seems to have passed the HSE medical. I assume HQ keeps copies of the medicals to monitor the situation.

[diverinstructor]

Ok - are you - Cornish Instructor - a Dr of any sort. If so can you send evidence that it is ok. Or if not - can you point me to a medical referee who can confirm that this would be ok. Sounds like there is no problem but when I read into the exact nature of what a stent is - it sounds as though it should be a no no for any type of diving medical let alone a HSE one!

[Ron Evans]

If the stent is working, and there is normal cardiac function, there probably would be no problem; but there may be specialist cardiologist information available with respect to any specfic patient. Is there an evidence base for stented scuba divers?

[Nigel Hewitt]

Is there an evidence base for stented scuba divers?I've been diving with one for 8 years but I had a heart attack and that, I am told, means I can never get an HSE medical. I can do UKSDM but that's no use if you want to work professionally.

I fear this is down to the individual case and we can do no more than wish the OP luck.

[Edward]

If someone has had a 'stent' in their heart, could they pass the HSE medical? Is there a limit of stents - i.e more than one may be a problem or does this not matter. Only interested. A colleague has several stents but is thinking of helping out at a BSAC School and so would have to undergo the HSE medical.
Can anyone of a Docterish nature please advise?
Thanks

My question is what advice did this person get from their Medical Referee when completing the Self-Certificate Medical Form as they would have had to answer question 2 with Yes. Therefore a Doctor's Certificate is required to dive recreationally.

Regards

Edward

[Nigel Hewitt]

My question is what advice did this person get from their Medical Referee when completing the Self-Certificate Medical Form as they would have had to answer question 2 with Yes. Therefore a Doctor's Certificate is required to dive recreationally.No.
A medical certificate is required to renew a BSAC diving membership but that just our rules.
They might be good rules but they only apply to us.

[diverinstructor]

Hmm - I am interested to find out whether this person has self declared that he is fit. This Instructor in Cornwall - how can he possibly have an HSE medical.
Does BSAC keep records of all HSE instructors (and see evidence of their medicals?)
Perhaps it should.

[Sophie]

As an HSE Instructor who has to go through strict medical assessments once a year I can't see - reading the stuff below - how anyone who has had this procedure can possibly be able to pass an HSE medical! I got this by typing Stents and diving into Google.
I agree with Diverinstructor - a medical referree should be able to answer this query!



Diving After Coronary Stent Implantation

If you are a diver who has developed coronary disease and has undergone angioplasty with or without a stent, important questions are: Can I return to diving, under what circumstances and when?

Stresses from diving include exercise and cold exposure. We usually provide recommendations for exercise based on a stress test done six to eight weeks after the procedure. Based on the stress test, we can determine if the stent is open and whether other coronary arteries are supplying adequate blood flow. We also determine your level of physical fitness and provide advice about exercise programs to improve conditioning. Because there is a risk of renarrowing in the stent, and most renarrowing occurs within the first six months after the procedure, I usually advise divers to wait for six months, get in good physical condition through a supervised exercise program, then have an exercise stress test to be sure the heart is getting adequate blood flow. For safe diving I recommend an exercise capacity of about 13 mets (a measure of work load) or 12 minutes on a standard stress test. It is also wise to avoid extremes of cold and heavy work on the surface or underwater. Smoking cessation and treatment of high blood pressure, diabetes and elevated blood cholesterol will lower the risk of a subsequent blockage. If you participate in any recreation that requires exercise, including diving after angioplasty and stent implantation, you should have periodic stress tests (annual or biannual) to be sure exercise is safe.

[Michelle Haywood]

BSAC HQ have never asked for copies of our HSE medicals even though we are a BSAC Centre of Excellence. Nor do I think they should get involved.

When we renew our Centre registration each year we agree to abide by BSAC guidelines and all legal requirements. IMO that is sufficient.

If you have evidence that a Centre does not meet these obligations I suggest you contact Mike Clack, the Centres Manager at HQ.

Michelle

[Edward]

No.
A medical certificate is required to renew a BSAC diving membership but that just our rules.
They might be good rules but they only apply to us.
Hi,

Its also the SSAC and SAA rules, I would be surprised if independent clubs don't also have some sort of medical form.

Additionally any independent diver wanting insurance e.g. mortgage, is more than likely to either agree to follow the guidance of their certifying agency or complete a medical form from the insurer; if not both (I had to).

Regards

Edward

[GerryB]

lets not confuse self certification and the HSE medical, they have no comparrison.

The minute you recieve financial gain iether from club training or proffesionally teaching you automatically need the HSE requirment for Instructing as stated on an annual basis costing in excess of £120 for the 2 hour medical just as an instructor, if you work offshore then the medical is different once again

I worked for a company in Ross-on-Wye as a proffesional Instructor

Self certification as far as Im aware is only based on the club stucture what ever organisation you belong to

Along with the HSE medical you must work with the ACOPS Recreational diving projects, diving at work Regulations 1997, ACOPS approved code of Practice followed on by risk assesments etc on site and a generic assesment each day as enviroments change daily:( Oh and not forgetting the stand by diver plus someone logging in and out of the water

Gerry

[tropical_shark]

It might be a good idea to contact whoever it would be that would carry out the medical and ask, that way you wont fork out the money for the medical because they aren't cheap! I know for a fact different doctors often have different stands of who they will pass, i had my first HSE medical done at the Diving Disease Research Centre in Plymouth and boy are they quite strict. This also has to do with the fact they are a research centre so if they find even the smallest thing suspicious they revoke or don't give you a medical! My second medical i had done at a doctors that was local to my parents and i didn't have to carry out half of the things that i did for the first medical or even have some of the stuff to the same level which i thought was interesting but I'm glad i didn't have to strip down to my underwear the second time!