Lung Shunt

[Midnight]

Is there a YD'er who can help me,

A friend of mine (not a euphamism for me) has recently been diagnosed as having a "lung shunt".

This person had a moment a while ago where they were sure something had gone wrong but displayed no obvious symptoms. A PFO check gave an all-clear but my friend was not yet convinced.

They then arranged the "correct PFO check" which uncovered a "lung shunt"

Could anyone tell me any more about this condition.

[The Purist]

I'm no medic, but someone I know also has this condition - she suffered a skin bend after a 40m ish dive a few years ago, and I got the job of tanking through the devon countryisde to get her to DDRC - medical emergency you know .

Anyhow, AIUI the condition is caused by enlarged blood vessels in the lungs which can allow some bubbles to pass straight through without being caught by the capillaries. Hence increased DCI risk, and it's not something that is easily located or treated so effectively sticks a spanner in the works for diving. Apparently it's more common in females.

The casualty saw Doc W who basically said shallow, no stop diving, rich nitroxes, lots of safety stops etc. etc. - this was a bit of a blow at the time as she was getting into the deeper stuff, and all that had to stop. She's slowly building back into it and is now doing 30-35m stuff with rich deco mixes and v. conservative profiles on every dive, but this has been over several years of gradual progression. At the time she got the bend we'd been doing 2 x 40+m (air) dives per day, and she'd done plenty of deeper stuff before this without incident.

[Midnight]

Thank you TP,

I will pass on your notes to my friend.

I am sure they will be delighted to hear that it does not neccessarily mean the end of their bubble making days.

I wish your friend the best and hope that she continues to enjoy her diving. I have always thought that the most interesting bit was in the top layer anyway!

Regards
Midnight