Mechanical Valve and Scuba Diving

[frankymalone]

My brother and I are avid divers. He was born with a congenital heart valve defect and recently had a mechanical valve put in. He is on coumadin. Can anyone advise as to whether it is a problem for him to continue diving?

 

[Dapibmeister]

My brother and I are avid divers. He was born with a congenital heart valve defect and recently had a mechanical valve put in. He is on coumadin. Can anyone advise as to whether it is a problem for him to continue diving?

That's a very intersting question. I will find out for you and post here. I am currently doing a cardiology fellowship and will ask some of the attendings (we have a world famous valve surgeon at my hospital) and search around on pubmed.

My guess would be that as long as he KNOWS that his INR is not too high (so he won't bleed to death if he cuts himself on a piece of coral) he should be OK. What was the congenital valve defect? Bicuspid aortic valve?

 

[Dr. Doug Ebersole]

I'm a cardiologist myself with an interest in diving medicine. According to "Medical Examination of Sport Scuba Divers" by Alfred Bove, M.D., Ph.D. (third edition), "anticoagulation used with mechanical valves can increase risk of bleeding and patients must be so advised. The presence of a mechanical valve per se with normal cardiac function is not a contraindication."

That having been said, the most important concern is what condition did your brother have that resulted in a mechanical heart valve. If he had a bicuspid aortic valve with normal heart muscle function that required a valve replacement and he has normal exercise tolerance there is really no concern with diving other than the coumadin issue above. However, if he had a "leaky" aortic or mitral valve that resulted in a weakened heart prior to or as a result of the surgery, he should probably undergo exercise testing to assess his functional status before diving. PM me with details of his condition if you have any questions.

 

[Lloyd]

I am not a cardiologist, but I was wondering if the turbulance of the valve could possibly induce bubble formation?
Lloyd

 

[Aeolus]

I had an heart valve replaced three years ago and I continue to dive as often as I can. My recommendation is to get a check up from a primary care doctor and also talk with the cardiologist. I monitor my PT/INR levels often and have not had any problems with that. The only thing that is noticable is that since water conducts sound much better than air, I often have people turn around as they swim close to see what that strange sound is. Answer: my heart valve operating. PM me if you would like a more personal answer to your question.

DSDO

 

[Lloyd]

I posted this on the decompression forum. Check it out.
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=92465