Diving Hyperb Med
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Case Reports
Decompression sickness after a highly conservative dive in a diver with known persistent foramen ovale: Case report.
A diver returned to diving, 15 months after an episode of neuro-spinal decompression sickness (DCS) with relapse, after which she had been found to have a moderate to large provoked shunt across a persistent (patent) foramen ovale (PFO), which was not closed. She performed a single highly conservative dive in line with the recommendations contained in the 2015 position statement on PFO and diving published jointly by the South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society and the United Kingdom Sports Diving Medical Committee. ⋯ Her symptoms and signs were milder but closely mirrored her previous episode of DCS and she required multiple hyperbaric oxygen treatments over several days, with residua on discharge. Although guidance in the joint statement was mostly followed, the outcome from this case indicates that there may be a subgroup of divers with an unclosed PFO, who have had a previous episode of serious DCS, who may not be safe to dive, even within conservative limits.