Peter Buzzacott1,2,3, George Anderson1,4, Frauke Tillmans1, James W Grier5, Petar J Denoble1. 1. Divers Alert Network, Durham, North Carolina, USA. 2. Prehospital, Resuscitation and Emergency Care Research Unit, School of Nursing Curtin University, Western Australia. 3. Corresponding author: Dr Peter Buzzacott, Prehospital, Resuscitation and Emergency Care Research Unit, School of Nursing, Curtin University, Western Australia, peter.buzzacott@curtin.edu.au. 4. Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA. 5. Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, USA.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The aims of this study were to investigate the potential impact of age, sex and body mass index (BMI) upon the incidence of arrhythmias pre- and post- diving, and to identify the prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in older recreational divers. METHODS: Divers aged ≥ 40 years participating in group dive trips had ECG rhythm and echocardiograph recordings before and after diving. Arrhythmias were confirmed by an experienced human reader. LVH was identified by two-dimensional echocardiography. Weighted (0.5 fractional) values were used to account for participation by seven divers in 14 trips. RESULTS: Seventy-seven divers undertook 84 dive trips and recorded 677 dives. Among divers with no pre-trip arrhythmias (n = 55), we observed that 6.5 (12%) recorded post-trip arrhythmias and the median increase was 1.0 arrhythmia. In divers with pre-trip arrhythmias, 14.5 had a median of 1.0 fewer post-trip arrhythmias, 2.0 had no change and 5.5 had a median of 16.0 greater. Age, but neither sex nor BMI, was associated with change in the number of arrhythmias before and after dive trips (P = 0.02). The relative risk for experiencing a change in the frequency of arrhythmias after a diver trip, was 2.1 for each additional 10 years of age (95% CI 1.1, 4.0). Of the 60 divers with imaging of their heart, five had left ventricular hypertrophy. CONCLUSIONS: We observed a higher than expected prevalence of arrhythmias. Divers with pre-trip arrhythmias tended to be older than divers without pre-trip arrhythmias (P = 0.02). The prevalence of LVH in our cohort was one quarter of that found post-mortem in scuba fatalities. Copyright: This article is the copyright of the authors who grant Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine a non-exclusive licence to publish the article in electronic and other forms.
INTRODUCTION: The aims of this study were to investigate the potential impact of age, sex and body mass index (BMI) upon the incidence of arrhythmias pre- and post- diving, and to identify the prevalence of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in older recreational divers. METHODS: Divers aged ≥ 40 years participating in group dive trips had ECG rhythm and echocardiograph recordings before and after diving. Arrhythmias were confirmed by an experienced human reader. LVH was identified by two-dimensional echocardiography. Weighted (0.5 fractional) values were used to account for participation by seven divers in 14 trips. RESULTS: Seventy-seven divers undertook 84 dive trips and recorded 677 dives. Among divers with no pre-trip arrhythmias (n = 55), we observed that 6.5 (12%) recorded post-trip arrhythmias and the median increase was 1.0 arrhythmia. In divers with pre-trip arrhythmias, 14.5 had a median of 1.0 fewer post-trip arrhythmias, 2.0 had no change and 5.5 had a median of 16.0 greater. Age, but neither sex nor BMI, was associated with change in the number of arrhythmias before and after dive trips (P = 0.02). The relative risk for experiencing a change in the frequency of arrhythmias after a diver trip, was 2.1 for each additional 10 years of age (95% CI 1.1, 4.0). Of the 60 divers with imaging of their heart, five had left ventricular hypertrophy. CONCLUSIONS: We observed a higher than expected prevalence of arrhythmias. Divers with pre-trip arrhythmias tended to be older than divers without pre-trip arrhythmias (P = 0.02). The prevalence of LVH in our cohort was one quarter of that found post-mortem in scuba fatalities. Copyright: This article is the copyright of the authors who grant Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine a non-exclusive licence to publish the article in electronic and other forms.
Entities:
Keywords:
Cardiovascular; Diving research; Echocardiography; Health status; Risk factors; Scuba; Sudden cardiac death
Authors: Carl J Lavie; Richard V Milani; Sangeeta B Shah; Yvonne E Gilliland; Jose A Bernal; Homeyar Dinshaw; Hector O Ventura Journal: Ochsner J Date: 2008
Authors: Shaan Khurshid; Seung Hoan Choi; Lu-Chen Weng; Elizabeth Y Wang; Ludovic Trinquart; Emelia J Benjamin; Patrick T Ellinor; Steven A Lubitz Journal: Circ Arrhythm Electrophysiol Date: 2018-07