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Scuba Diving with ICD - some errors in information
I found some posts here which I followed up on. They were concerning diving (scuba) with an ICD. One poster had found information from another web site (which I verified) stating that the St Jude ICD was rated to 230 feet (70 meters) of hyperbaric pressure. I called St Judes and they claim 3 atmospheres (which is 66 feet !!).
Perhaps it's not the St Jude device, and another co. has that rating - which I sure wish I could find. The Guardant claims 5 ATA (atmospheres) which is the highest so far.
For reference:
ATA (atmospheres absolute)
1 ATA: Sea level
2 ATA: 33 feet
3 ATA: 66 feet
4 ATA: 99 feet
5 ATA: 132 feet
6 ATA: 198 feet
7 ATA: 231 feet
Most companies use the "ATA" since that is what is used in the scienfific community.
For serious divers and instructors even 5 ATA is not enough and won't support what many technical (and yes still recreational) divers are doing with modern air computers and equipment.
At least 7 ATA (10 ATA would be better) would meet current diving depths required - the manufactures are behind the times.
1 Comments
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My pacemaker is intact and working great.
Pressure limitation
by ElectricFrank - 2008-03-04 01:03:08
The main part of the pacer, whether ICD or not, where pressure would be a problem would be the lead connection. There has to be a seal where the connector leaves the body of the pacer. Also a seal where the lead inserts into the pacer. The effect of depth would be to increase the pressure of body fluids around the pacemaker could short the conductor to the shield if saline body fluids got into the connector. It could also conceivably deliver a shock (ICD) to the tissue around the pacer causing an involuntary muscle contraction.
The problem with all this is that the pacemaker manufacturer has no way of knowing whether the instructions for attaching the leads into the pacer were followed by the surgeon. In the Medtronic manual they are very specific about it.
I seriously doubt that crushing the body of the pacer would be a problem at 2.5ATM.
I wonder how far you need to be away from an electric eel to be safe (:
frank