Diver down in Jupiter

[mscott556]

Finally got home but still don't know what happened. It was the first dive of the day and max was 90ft. He was 50-60 w/history of heart attacks though. I think he was the last diver back to the boat and right after he sat down someone called for oxygen. He was foaming at the mouth and stopped breathing, no pulse. One of the divers was a firefighter and started CPR. Divers took turns doing compressions for the ~25 min ride back to the inlet where a rescue crew met up with our boat and put him on the AED. By the time we got to the dock it was about 30-40 min. They put him in the ambulance and took him to the hospital. I'm no doctor but it was apparent to everyone that he was gone.

Great effort by the captain and crew for doing everything humanly possible to try to bring him back. Out of respect, I won't post his name before I see something official released.

Edit: There is a thread here for Condolences
http://divertodiver.scubadiving.com/tm.aspx?m=236029​

 

[DevonDiver]

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[mscott556]

OK, Thanks Andy

I just saw a clip on the news here confirming that he died of an apparent heart attack. They didn't name him, just used local diver (he was from California).

 

[Ayisha]

He was foaming at the mouth and stopped breathing, no pulse.​

I just saw a clip on the news here confirming that he died of an apparent heart attack.

Is it common for someone having a heart attack to be foaming at the mouth? I don't know, I'm just asking...​

 

[mscott556]

Is it common for someone having a heart attack to be foaming at the mouth? I don't know, I'm just asking...[/LEFT]

I didn't think so. I was looking around online after I got home and it looked like this:

Arterial Gas Embolism
Arterial gas embolism is caused by an overexpansion of the lungs, which results in torn alveoli and release of air into the pulmonary capillaries.² The air bubbles then travel through the heart and may find their way to the brain, where they cause symptoms similar to those of a stroke. AGE may present severely, causing the diver’s immediate collapse and death upon surfacing.

Significant symptoms of arterial gas embolism will be apparent within moments of surfacing from a dive.

Diving Injuries and Decompression Sickness


But that is pure speculation on my part.

 

[bluegillchow]

I was on the subject dive boat yesterday as well. I will concur that lifesaving measures were begun swiftly and well, and I think just about everything that possibly could be done was done. I was also impressed with how quickly other responders got out to meet us. By the time we got to the dock there were representatives from multiple agencies on board working on the diver.

My lay opinion is that it was an AGE. Onset of symptoms was fast, and apparently with no indication from the diver that there was anything wrong. He surfaced near my wife and I (and the divemaster with the flag), and exchanged a few joking words with my wife while on the surface waiting for the boat. He got on the boat under his own steam, and literally minutes later was unconscious. No indication of pain or discomfort like one would expect with a heart attack. I was something like the fourth or fifth person who took a turn giving compressions, and I think it was clear to everyone that he was gone. As far as I could tell, once he was down on the deck there was no indication of a pulse, nor of breathing at all.

One of his buddies on the boat said that he had been experiencing some lung congestion recently, which would seem to lend credence to the AGE hypothesis.

Decidedly not​ the best day I've ever had on a boat.

 

[sheeper]

bluegillchow...and to the other divers and crew on the boat....you have my sympathy for a tough day. as an old public safety diver, i know it's tough. it sucks bigtime.

based on the description and onset of symptoms it does sound like AGE. i would expect that the autopsy results will yield something along those lines.
it's certainly easier for the new report to say "heart attack" as it is something that both the reporter and the public actually understand.

 

[bluegillchow]

I was wondering about an autopsy. Firstly, is it a given that there will be one? I'm not at all familiar with local laws and procedures.

More importantly, is an AGE detectable at autopsy? I confess I know very little about the mechanism involved, or what signs would remain post-mortem.

 

[DandyDon]

Would this be the same incident? http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/near-misses-lessons-learned/408591-florida-diver-rescued.html

 

[mscott556]

Would this be the same incident? http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/near-misses-lessons-learned/408591-florida-diver-rescued.html

The time matches up but he was brought to a dock in the Jupiter Inlet.