Deep Vein Thrombosis & Warfarin

[Steve Parry]

I have a friend who wants to resume diving after a 2 year absence.

However, they suffered a DVT last summer and are only just about to come off warfarin.

Does anyone know how suffering a DVT and taking wafarin affects someone's fitness to dive ?


Steve Parry

[Roz]

Strongly suggest friend talks to a Diving Doctor, rather than their GP. It's actually quite frightening what GP's and Casualty Units don't know about diving medicine.

BSAC has a list of diving referees who you could contact.

From my own experience there are four excellent doctors I would recommend, who know their onions, and their diving medicine.

Andrew Scott-Brown
Lake Road Surgery
Portsmouth

Tristan Cope
North West Emergency Hyperbaric Unit
BUPA Murrayfield Hospital

John King
Harley Street

Adel Taher
Sharm-el-Sheikh Hyperbaric Chamber

I have seen all of these doctors medically - mostly HSE medicals - and respect absolutely their vast and thorough relevant knowledge.

[Phil Laughton]

Hi Steve,

I had a DVT in 1990 but with other complications that kept me in hospital for quite a while. I was on Warfarin when came out of hospital for about six months until it was thought I wasn't at risk. My GP, at that time, was very well read on diving medicine and divers from all over the north came to see him but if he said "you don't dive" that was it. The doc carried out a very thorough examination of me and then let me back into the water probably ten to twelve months after the DVT event. However, I agree with what Roz has said and your friend should talk to a medical referee.

Phil
Is Luton clubs compressor still running?

[Steve Parry]

Hi Phil,

Thanks for the feedback- very useful. I am just trying to get a feel for how other DVT sufferers got back into diving in general terms. But as Roz and yourself point out, the final call on this has to come from a qualified doctor.

Luton's compressor ? I hope so after all the work we both put in a few years ago! I am no lo longer a member of Luton Club but I did get asked to run a copressor SDC for them last year. The beast was still chugging away and the copressors still there as well

Nice to hear from you again

Steve