Abstract
Diving is different to most other sports as divers are exposed to different ambient pressures. This affects mainly air-filled organs in regard to barotrauma. Considering DCI, a holistic assessment including cardiovascular, respiratory, constitutional, endocrinological, comorbidities and pharmacological treatment needs to be conducted. Diving can also be a physical strenuous exercise on occasions. Therefore, physical fitness is very important in diving. As certain medical conditions increase the risk of DCI, diving fitness assessments are supposed to determine whether safety is ensured during diving. Diving fitness assessments are aiming for minimising medical risk factors in diving. There are different guidelines for recreational and commercial divers. Recommendation and guidelines vary from country to country.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factor Prediction Chart, Modified from chart, modified from chart by the American Heart Association. 2002. https://www.casa.gov.au/sites/g/files/net351/f/_assets/main/manuals/regulate/dame/riskchrt.pdf.
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Standarts for Medical Assessment of Divers (MA1).
SPUMS – Guidleines on medical risk assessment for recreational divers. 2010. http://www.spums.org.au/sites/default/files/member_downloads/SPUMS%20Medical%204th%20edition-July%202011_0.pdf. Accessed 2 Mar 2017.
Van Hulst RA, Rietbroek RC, Gaastra MTW, Schloesser NJJ. To dive or not to dive with bleomycin: a practical algorithm. Aviatr Space Environ Med. 2011;82:814–8.
Wilmhurst P. Practice guidline– Detection of a persistent foramen ovale using echocardiography. Diving Hyperb Med. 2016; 46(1).
The Diving Medical Advisory Committee. Fitness to return to diving after decompression illness, DMAC 13 Rev. 2 Nov 2017.
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, US Navy, Manual of the Medical Department (MANMED), NAVMED P-117, Article 15–102, updated 1 June 2018.
Suggested Reading
ADC international (Association of Diving Contractors International). International consensus for commercial diving and underwater operations, 6th edition 2016; www.adc-int.or/files/C12181_International%20Consensus%20Standards.pdf.
Bove AA. Medical aspects of sport diving. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1996;28(5):591.
Bove AA. Medical evaluation for sport diving. In: Bove AA, Davis JC, editors. Diving medicine. 4th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders; 2004. p. 519–32.
Brannan JD, Koskela H, Anderson SD. Monitoring asthma therapy using indirect bronchial provocation tests. Clin Respir J. 2007;1:3–15.
Ehm OF. Tauchtauglichkeitsuntersuchung bei Sporttauchern, vol. 1989. Berlin: Springer; 1989.
FFESSM. www.cmp.fr/resources/Taucher-Kontraindikationliste-Est.pdf. Accessed 6 Mar 2015.
French Underwater Federation Guidelines. Recreational scuba diving contraindications, 2008: http://medical.ffessm.fr/wp-content/uploads/scubadiving_contraindication2009.pdf; (Accessed 13 May 2016).
Godden D, Currie G, Denison D, Farrell P, Ross J, Stephenson R, Watt S, Wilmhurst P. British Thoracic Society guidelines on respiratory aspects of diving. Thorax. 2003;58:3–13.
Harrah JD, O’Boyle PS, Piantadosi CA. Underutilization of echocardiography for patent foramen ovale in divers with serious decompression sickness. Undersea Hyperb Med. 2008;35(3):207–11.
Jette M, Sidney K, Blümchen G. Metabolic equivalents (METS) in exercise testing, exercise prescription and evaluation of functional capacity. Clin Cardiology. 1990;13:555–65.
Kontraindikationen Sorttauchen nach Empfehlung der GTUM, OGTH, SGUHM. http://www.tauchtauglichkeitsuntersuchungen.de/kontraindikationen/.
Kyi M, Paldus B, Nanayakkara N, Bennett M, Johnson R, Meehan C, Colman P. Insulin-requiring diabetes and recreational diving: Australian Diabetes Society position statement, Diving and diabetes – ADS position statement 2016.
Lafay V. The heart and underwater diving. Arch Mal Coeur Vaiss. 2006;99(11):1115–9.
Miller MR, Hankinson J, Brusasco V, Burgos F, Casaburi R, Coates A, Crapo R, Enright P, van der Grinten CPM, Gustafson P, Jensen R, Jphnson DC, MacIntyre N, MacKay R, Navajas D, Pedersen OF, Pellegrino R, Viegi G, Wagner J. Standardisation of spirometry. Eur Respir J. 2005;26:319–38.
Morgan WP, Raglin JS, O’Connor PJ. Trait anxiety predicts panic behavior in beginning scuba students. Int J Sports Med. 2004;25(4):314–22.
Pollock NW. Aerobic fitness and underwater diving. Diving Hyperb Med. 2007;37(3):118–24.
Sade K, Wiesel O, Kivity S, Levo Y. Asthma and scuba diving: can asthmatic patients dive? Harefuah. 2007;146(4):286–90, 317.
Scott DH, Marks AD. Diabetes and diving. In: Bove AA, Davis JC, editors. Diving medicine. 4th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders; 2004. p. 507–18.
Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. 2007 sports and fitness participation report. Washington, DC: Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association; 2007.
Tauchtauglichkeitsuntersunchungen. www.tauchtauglichkeitsuntersuchungen.de. Accessed 5 June 2015.
Taylor DM, O’Toole KS, Ryan CM. Experienced, recreational scuba divers in Australia continue to dive despite medical contraindications. Wilderness Environ Med. 2002;13(3):187–93.
Tetzlaff K, Klingmann C, Muth CM, Piepho T, Welslau W. Checkliste Tauchtauglichkeit, vol. 2008. Stuttgart: Gentner Verlag; 2014.
Wendling J, Elliott D, Nome T. Fitness to dive standards, guidelines for medical assessment of working divers. 2003; www.edtc.org/EDTC-Fitnesstodivestandard-200.pdf. (Accessed 24/06/2003).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Rusoke-Dierich, O. (2018). Assessment for Diving Fitness for Recreational Divers. In: Diving Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73836-9_30
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73836-9_30
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-73835-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-73836-9
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)