Total anomalous pulmonary venous return is a condition where the veins returning blood to the heart from the lungs do not empty correctly into the arterial circulation. Children born with the condition do not usually survive or do well at all unless they also have an open atrial septal defect or patent foramen ovale. This...

Even if you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, chronic bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, asthma, or heart disease and need an oxygen supply, you should be able to travel so long as you consult closely with your physician and then follow the advice received.For COPD patients, whose main problem is moving air in and out...

Patients who have had successful coronary bypass surgery or angioplasty who wish to undertake sport diving should be allowed to participate in this activity. Those applicants wanting to do commercial or military diving should not be approved. In arriving at the proper conclusion a careful review of coronary anatomy, degree of vascularization, and exercise tolerance...

Long QT Interval Syndrome Certain types of medications may put divers at risk for a dangerous cardiac rhythm. A study published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Ackerman, M, et al. Mayo Clin.Proc. 74:1088, 1999) identified an abnormality in the heart electrical system that puts swimmers and divers at risk for sudden death. The inherited disorder...

Note: This material should be copied and taken to your physician for his review. This material should not be used as a basis for treatment decisions, and is not a substitute for professional consultation and/or peer-reviewed medical literature. CONDUCTION ABNORMALITIES AND PACEMAKERS Patients with conduction system abnormalities normally demonstrate evidence of cardiac disease as the...