Diving Medicine

This is our group's medical resource board courtesy of DAN - Diver's Alert Network, where you
can obtain medical answers to questions related to scuba diving. A handy resource and good
information every diver in the group should read.

Another excellent resource for your family doctor, in the event you have a dive related problem, is
ScubaDoc's Dive Medicine Online where you can direct any physician for help with a particular
dive related injury. I emailed a link to my family doctor, who very much appreciated the resource.
Ernest Campbell is the foremost authority on dive medicine at Duke University and welcomes
phone calls and email from doctors.

Aging
- Diving After Joint Replacement
- The Aging Diver

Barotrauma
- Ear Squeeze (Ear Pain)
- Mask Squeeze
- Mechanism of Injury for Pulmonary Over-Inflation Syndrome
- Nosebleeds (Sinus Squeeze)

Cardiovascular (Heart)
- ACE Inhibitors (Angiotension-converting enzyme)
- Atrial Septal Defects (ASD)
- Beta-Blockers (Metoprolol, Propanolol etc.)
- Blood Thinners (Anticoagulants-Coumadin, Plavix etc.)
- Calcium Channel Blockers (Cardizem, Caduet etc.)
- Cholesterol Medications & Diving
- Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (and Angioplasty)
- Coronary Artery Disease
- Diuretics (water pills- HCTZ, Aldactone, Bumex)
- Diving After a Heart Attack
- Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction)
- Heart Valve Replacement
- Hypertension
- Implanted Internal Defibrillators
- Irregular Heartbeat (Dysrhythmias)
- Mitral Valve Prolapse
- Murmurs
- Pacemakers and Diving
- Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO)
- Raynaud's Syndrome or Phenomenon
- Vasovagal and Carotid Sinus Syncopes
- Ventricular Septal Defects (VSD) and Diving

Decompression Illness
- Decompression Recovery
- Diving After Flying
- Diving at Altitude
- Exercise & DCS
- Flying After Diving
- In-Water Recompression
- Return to Diving After DCI
- Subcutaneous Emphysema
Dental
- Dental Implants
- Diving and Root Canals
- Diving and Wisdom Teeth
- Diving With Dental Braces

Diabetes & Diving

- Diabetes — The Risks

Diving Accidents
- Basic Instincts
- Chamber Location and Availability
- Local Chamber Fees - Do They Really Exist?
- Proper Position for Emergency Care
- Why DAN Does not Provide Chamber Location Information

Ears, Nose, & Throat

- Cochlear Implants
- Dealing With Ear Problems
- Deviated Septum
- Diving With Existing Ear Injuries
- Ear Equalizing
- Ear Plugs
- Ear Ventilation Tubes
- ENT Surgery
- Hearing Loss/Deafness
- Instructions for Equalizing Ears and Sinuses
- Meniere's Disease
- Sinus Congestion
- Surfers Ear (Exotoses)
- Tinnitus (Ringing)
- TMJ (Temporal-Mandibular Joint Syndrome)
- Tympanic Membrane Rupture (Perforated Ear Drum)
- Unplugged: DAN Examines the Use of Earplugs In Scuba Divers

Endocrine
- Diving With Hyperglycemia
- Thyroid Conditions

Fitness to Dive
- Asthma and Scuba Diving
- Bone Considerations in Young Divers
- Cytotoxic Drugs, Cancer Effects
- Exercise Training and Scuba Diving
- Getting Fit for Dive Season
- Healthy, But Overweight
- Taking Medication While Scuba Diving

Gastrointestinal
- Abdominal Surgery
- Achalasia
- Bariatric Surgery and Diving
- Chronic Pancreatitis
- Crohns Disease and Diving
- Diverticular Disease of the Colon (Diverticulitis)
- Dumping Syndrome
- Esophageal Diverticulae
- Gastroenteritis and Vomiting / Diarrhea
- Gastroesophageal Reflux (“Heartburn” or “Waterbrash”)
- Hernias (also Sliding and Paraesophageal Hiatal Hernias)
- Ileostomy and Colostomy
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Inguinal Hernia
- Liver Cirrhosis
- Liver Transplant
- Peptic Ulceration
- Small Bowel Obstruction

General
- Aches and Pains
- Bladder Discomfort
- Diving After Donating Blood
- Flu-like Symptoms Following a Dive
- Foot Pain After Diving
- Frontal Headaches
- Hand & Foot Edema
- Immersion Diuresis (Urge to Urinate)
- Latex Allergies
- Medical Questionnaire / Statement
- Proper Position for Emergency Care
- Remember to Breathe

Hematology (Blood)
- Diving and Sickle Cell Anemia
- Diving with Leukemia
- Hemophilia & Diving
- Hepatitis
- Sickle Cell Anemia

Infectious Diseases
- Clean & Sanitize Gear
- HIV/AIDS and Diving

Marine Life
- Bright Colors & Predator Provocation
- Ciguatera Poisoning
- Coral Cuts, Scrapes and Rashes
- Coral Scrapes
- Diving While On Medications for Stings
- Itching and rash go away and come back
- Jellyfish Stings
- Lionfish, Scorpionfish and Stonefish Envenomations
- Local Allergic Reactions
- Mooring/Anchor lines causing itching and rash
- Physalia physalis (Portuguese Man-of-War)
- Sea Bathers Eruption
- Sea Lice
- Sea Urchin Spine Punctures
- Seaweed Dermatitis
- Stingray Envenomation
- Swimmer Itch
- Will Sponges ever Hurt Me

Musculoskeletal
- Diving After Bone Fractures
- Diving After Hip Replacement
- Diving After Spinal Back Surgery
- Diving with Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Osteochondritis
- Shoulder Pain

Neurological
- Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
- Cerebral Palsy
- Cerebral Vascular Accident
- Epilepsy
- Head Trauma
- History of Seizures Without a Clear Diagnosis of Epilepsy
- Migraine Headache
- Migraines (and Medical Forms)
- Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- Paraplegia
- Post Brain Tumor Surgery

Ophthalmology (Eyes)
- Blurred Vision
- Detached Retina and Diving
- Diving After Lasik Surgery
- Diving with Contacts
- Diving with Glaucoma
- Eye Conditions That Will Keep You Out of the Water
- Loss of Sight After HBO Treatment
- Macular Degeneration
- Ocular Decompression Sickness
- Photorefractive Keratectomy
- Radial Keratotomy
- Subconjunctival Hemorrhage

Plastic Surgery
- Breast Implants
- Face Lift
- Liposuction
- Rhinoplasty

Psychological
- Diving and Depression Medications

Respiratory
- Breathing Discomfort
- Immersion Pulmonary Edema
- Mechanism of Injury for Pulmonary Over-Inflation Syndrome
- Pneumothorax & Its Consequences
- Remember to Breathe
- Spontaneous Pneumothorax

Women Issues
- Breast Cancer & Fitness to Dive Issues
- Breast Cancer, Cancer & Surgery
- Breast Implants
- Breast-Feeding
- Endometriosis
- Hysterectomy
- Menstruation During Diving Activities
- Oral Birth Control
- Osteoporosis
- Ovarian Cancer
- Pregnancy
- Premenstrual Syndrome
- Return To Diving After Giving Birth