Joint position statement on persistent foramen ovale (PFO) and diving. South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society (SPUMS) and the United Kingdom Sports Diving Medical Committee (UKSDMC).

Joint position statement on persistent foramen ovale (PFO) and diving. South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society (SPUMS) and the United Kingdom Sports Diving Medical Committee (UKSDMC). Diving Hyperb Med. 2015 Jun;45(2):129-31 Authors: Smart D, Mitchell S, Wilmshurst P, Turner M, Banham N Abstract This consensus statement is the result of a workshop at the SPUMS Annual Scientific Meeting 2014 with representatives of the UK Sports Diving Medical Committee (UKSDMC) present, and subsequent discussions including the entire UKSDMC. Right-to-left shunt across a persistent or patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a risk factor for some types of decompression illness. It was agreed that routine screening for PFO is not currently justifiable, but certain high risk sub-groups can be identified. Divers with a history of cerebral, spinal, inner-ear or cutaneous decompression illness, migraine with aura, a family history of PFO or atrial septal defect and those with other forms of congenital heart disease are considered to be at higher risk. For these individuals, screening should be considered. If screening is undertaken it should be by bubble contrast transthoracic echocardiography with provocative manoeuvres, including Valsalva release and sniffing. Appropriate quality control is important. If a shunt is present, advice should be provided by an experienced diving physician taking into account the clinical context and the size of shunt. Reduction ...
Source: Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine - Category: Sports Medicine Tags: Diving Hyperb Med Source Type: research