Sarcoidosis of the Lungs
Sarcoidosis is a disease that causes inflammation of the body's tissues. Inflammation is a basic response of the body to injury and usually causes reddened skin, warmth, swelling, and pain.…
Asthma and Diving
Historic Contra-indication to divingTraditionally, asthma has been thought to be an absolute contraindication to diving. The classical thought is that the asthmatic has air-trapping associated with the constrictive airway disease,…
Eosinophilic Granuloma (Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis)
Clinical:Pulmonary involvement with langerhans cell histiocytosis is characterized by a granulomatous infiltration of the alveolar septae and bronchial walls by foamy histiocytes. The disorder is uncommon, accounting for only 3.4%…
Reducing the Risks of Pulmonary Barotrauma
HistoryThe same conditions that cause spontaneous pneumothorax can be deadly in the increased ambient pressures of diving - and even in the pressure changes that take place in pressurized aircraft.…
Arterial Gas Embolism
Pathophysiology Arterial gas embolism is a major cause of death in diving and the initiating cause (pulmonary barotrauma) usually goes undetected. Caused most often by the expansion of respiratory gases…
Cystic Fibrosis and Diving
What is Cystic Fibrosis?Cystic fibrosis or 'mucoviscidosis' is an inherited condition where there is considerable thickening of the mucous production of the body in several places but with effects occurring…
Pulmonary Abnormalities in Marfan’s Syndrome Related to Diving
What is Marfan's Syndrome?It seems inevitable that someone will want to scuba dive with every disease known to man and wonder if there is some reason not to. Marfan's Syndrome…
Spontaneous Pneumothorax
There are three obvious reasons for not diving:Disorders that may lead to altered consciousnessDisorders that inhibit the "natural evolution of Boyle's Law".Disorders that may lead to erratic and irresponsible behavior.PneumothoraxAny…
Pulmonary Barotrauma
ScenarioA 25 year old divemaster made one dive to 40 feet for 38 minutes and then spent 3 hours and 45 minutes on the surface. His second dive was to…
Pulmonary Edema of Diving
What is pulmonary edema?Pulmonary edema is the sudden filling of the lungs with fluid, generally thought of as being caused by a failure of the left side of the heart…