Medical Devices in Drysuit ?

[v101]

Hello -
I posted this to try to determine if other divers have taken medical devices with them under water in their drysuits?

I know many people I have talked to have accidentally forgot to take their cell phones out of their under-garments, and the cell phone went with them on their dive. After the dive they realized it was on them, and they took it out and it was fine.

I have diabetes type 1. I have been on a insulin pump for many years, and it has an integrated sensor that displays my blood sugar level. it will beep if the sugar is going low or high. This is integrated into the pump. I have never dove with the pump, I tend to disconnect it and leave it. However I would like to carry the small device that can display my sugar level on it. It will vibrate and beep, which If I keep it close by in a interior pocket, I should in theory be able to feel it when it vibrates, or hear the beep.

Has anyone tried doing this with their medical devices? if so any suggestions?

 

[KeithG]

No personal experience, but my first concern would be pressure effects on the device. Even though it is dry it will be subjected to the pressure of the surrounding water.

The device may be fine, or it may malfunction or it (or parts of it) may implode?

You may want to consider testing it in a pressure chamber?

 

[Aviyes]

No personal experience, but my first concern would be pressure effects on the device. Even though it is dry it will be subjected to the pressure of the surrounding water.

The device may be fine, or it may malfunction or it (or parts of it) may implode?

You may want to consider testing it in a pressure chamber?

Contact the company and ask the question. They may have completed many of the applicable or equivalent tests already.

 

[fmerkel]

Of course a drysuit can be dry for a long time....then......maybe a small leak, or possibly a bad one. How much saltwater exposure risk are you willing to take vs. the info this can provide?

 

[Miyaru]

Assuming your insulin pump works without any issues at higher ambient pressure - does the device know what to do when scuba diving?
I'm pretty sure you know from your own experience how diving influences your blood glucose level, so I am not giving you medical advice.

General protocol for diving with diabetes is to have a blood glucose level of at least 150mg/dl (8.3 mmol/l) just before the dive, level should be stable or rising. If your level is below 150mg/dl or higher than 300mg/dl, you should delay the dive. During the dive, blood glucose levels drop faster than on land. The diver (and buddy) should be extra alert for signs & symptoms of hypoglycaemia, and carry oral glucose during the dive. If hypoglycaemia occurs, ingesting glucose is required (under water or at the surface).

There's a good chance that your insulin pump will keep your blood glucose level lower than required during the hour for your dive, increasing the chance of hypoglycaemia during the dive. Administering insulin during the dive is likely not required. I'd suggest you contact DAN Research (research@dan.org) and ask them to send you the current guidelines on diving with diabetes.

 

[v101]

Thanks for the info!

My rules I follow is I wait until the insulin I gave for a meal has already peaked, for the insulin I am using its 4 HRS. so if I eat early AM, and then get a dive in the AM, insulin has already peaked, and I am good for the dive ahead. I test my sugar manually and always want to be at / above a 150, if I am higher its usually OK, as swimming exerts energy and I tend to drop when diving. I drink juice often, and carry the glucose gel with me.

I contacted the company (DEXCOM) about the electronic device, and they basically indicated They suggested NOT taking it underwater, they didn't understand what a drysuit was, and the entire conversation was not very good. Personally i have taken the unit in a PELICAN case underwater and it was fine. Took it to 120' and still worked just fine. However the Transmitter on my side, was NOT able to send messages back and forth to the device in the Pelican case :-(

So the thought now, is to try to put the unit perhaps back into the pelican case, but leave the case in my drysuit. Then if the suit floods, the unit is still protected by the pelican case. I have tested the unit out on dry land, being in the pelican case it still receives the signal just fine.

Personally what I like to do, is be able to have a clear area that I can see through my dry-suit and be able to visually SEE what my blood sugar is VS feeling the unit vibrate. I can check it and see if its dropping. For longer dives this would be Great.

Any one have any ideas if a small section of drysuit could be CUT out, and then glue a flexible clear material into the suit, so I could see through the material ?
Maybe I will contact the drysuit companies and ask them about this. There has to be a way.

 

[Ballde]

I've seen a guy in my open water training do exactly what your talking about and iv also heard about guys rigging up a water proof live glucose meter they can watch belpb the surface but I would say if possible have some sort of backup like maybe the old syringe just in case there is a leak in your drysuit

 

[EireDiver606]

Or you could just buy one of those atmospheric diving suits

 

[mmerriman]

I was leading drysuit divers at a manufacturer demo day a few years ago and one diver was getting into his trial suit with an insulin pump. I asked if he knew that was safe, etc and his reply was "I think so". I didn't let him dive with me.....

 

[ljwillia]

My husband (and dive buddy) is a type 1 as well. He has a Medtronic pump and wears a wetsuit. He always does a test and unhooks before diving. One time he forgot to unhook and miraculously the pump was fine. However, even in a dry suit, if something were to happen Medtronic would not cover the damage. At $5K not a risk we would want to assume.

He carries packets of Goo in his BC pocket. He's never had to use it but could manage it underwater if necessary. He's also never had a low underwater.

He switched endo's about two years ago. Prior to his new Dr. he was keeping himself artificially high on dive trips. It made for a miserable time. His new endo has helped him better understand the carb/insulation ratios. New basal rates have made a world of difference.