P.F.O - Hole in heart

[Pete Chamberlain]

Hi All,
I'm wondering if any can help me, my stepdaughter is very keen to take up diving, however, because she was born prematurely, she was born with a hole in the heart. Probably diagnosed by a consultant just listening to her chest!!!?.
She was later told that it was closed or too small to cause her concern. My worry is that because I wasn't around when this was diagnosed I don't know wether there is still a problem to consider. Can anyone let me know how i would go about getting her checked out for hole in the heart? and is she o.k to have a try dive in a pool without being checked out first?

[Adrian Kelland]

Hi All,
I'm wondering if any can help me, my stepdaughter is very keen to take up diving, however, because she was born prematurely, she was born with a hole in the heart. Probably diagnosed by a consultant just listening to her chest!!!?.
She was later told that it was closed or too small to cause her concern. My worry is that because I wasn't around when this was diagnosed I don't know wether there is still a problem to consider. Can anyone let me know how i would go about getting her checked out for hole in the heart? and is she o.k to have a try dive in a pool without being checked out first?
Probably OK, but would you like to be sure? Best speak to a medical referee.

<a href="http://www.bsac.org/medical/medrefs.htm" >http://www.bsac.org/medical/medrefs.htm</a>

Adrian

[FionaB]

:=Hi All,
:= I'm wondering if any can help me, my stepdaughter is very keen to take up diving, however, because she was born prematurely, she was born with a hole in the heart. Probably diagnosed by a consultant just listening to her chest!!!?.
:= She was later told that it was closed or too small to cause her concern. My worry is that because I wasn't around when this was diagnosed I don't know wether there is still a problem to consider. Can anyone let me know how i would go about getting her checked out for hole in the heart? and is she o.k to have a try dive in a pool without being checked out first?
Probably OK, but would you like to be sure? Best speak to a medical referee.

http://www.bsac.org/medical/medrefs.htm

Adrian

I understand that a third of the population has a PFO it is only a problem depending on the size. By all means see a medical referee, but they can't tell you if your stepdaughter has a PFO which would cause a problem if she learned to dive. You will need to have the test done by a cardiologist.

When I went to see a medical referee following a treatment in a chamber he told me I probably did have one. I paid for a test to be done privately and then the medical referee refered me to Dr P Wilmsurst who conducted another test. I am glad to say both tests were negative.

[Adrian Kelland]

:=:=Hi All,
:=:= I'm wondering if any can help me, my stepdaughter is very keen to take up diving, however, because she was born prematurely, she was born with a hole in the heart. Probably diagnosed by a consultant just listening to her chest!!!?.
:=:= She was later told that it was closed or too small to cause her concern. My worry is that because I wasn't around when this was diagnosed I don't know wether there is still a problem to consider. Can anyone let me know how i would go about getting her checked out for hole in the heart? and is she o.k to have a try dive in a pool without being checked out first?
:=Probably OK, but would you like to be sure? Best speak to a medical referee.
:=
:= http://www.bsac.org/medical/medrefs.htm
:=
:=Adrian

I understand that a third of the population has a PFO it is only a problem depending on the size. By all means see a medical referee, but they can't tell you if your stepdaughter has a PFO which would cause a problem if she learned to dive. You will need to have the test done by a cardiologist.

When I went to see a medical referee following a treatment in a chamber he told me I probably did have one. I paid for a test to be done privately and then the medical referee refered me to Dr P Wilmsurst who conducted another test. I am glad to say both tests were negative.

I think that this could also involve other types of hole, not just PFO.

Adrian

[dave covey]

Can anyone let me know how i would go about getting her checked out for hole in the heart? and is she o.k to have a try dive in a pool without being checked out first?

DDRC or Whipps cross may be able to advise, or see below....

[andy moll]

You have a valid worry as others have said 1 in 4 people have a PFO and does not cause them a problem in normal life, diving is not normal :-) If it was sufficient to be heard and still is then it is possibly a large hole in diving terms, still not a problem in normal life. ( I speak as a diver of 27 years who has a PFO that was considered small untill recently I am now looking at getting it closed)

The only people who can really advise on this are Medical referees, see list here and contact your nearest one. <a href="http://www.bsac.org/medical/medrefs.htm" >http://www.bsac.org/medical/medrefs.htm</a>

Re try dive yes fine with PFO as is diving upto 15m Max

|Hope all ends up fine and she enjoys her Try dive and ends up being a diver, there is nothing to beat it

[Pete Chamberlain]

You have a valid worry as others have said 1 in 4 people have a PFO and does not cause them a problem in normal life, diving is not normal :-) If it was sufficient to be heard and still is then it is possibly a large hole in diving terms, still not a problem in normal life. ( I speak as a diver of 27 years who has a PFO that was considered small untill recently I am now looking at getting it closed)

The only people who can really advise on this are Medical referees, see list here and contact your nearest one. <a href="http://www.bsac.org/medical/medrefs.htm" >http://www.bsac.org/medical/medrefs.htm</a>

Re try dive yes fine with PFO as is diving upto 15m Max

|Hope all ends up fine and she enjoys her Try dive and ends up being a diver, there is nothing to beat it

Thank you all for your input on this one, it was much appreciated by both me and my stepdaughter, I'm now going through the motions of contacting a medical referee and hopefully she'll be diving in no time and enjoying the sport as much as we all do.
Pete