Cor Vasa 2006, 48(7-8):286-288

Patent foramen ovale as a cause of paradoxical embolism in scuba divers

Tomáš Honěk^1,*, Josef Veselka¹, Aleš Tomek², Martin Šrámek², Jaroslav Januška³, Luděk Šefc⁴, Roman Kerekeš⁵, Štěpán Novotný⁶

¹ Kardiovaskulární centrum

² Neurologická klinika, Fakultní nemocnice Motol, Praha

³ Kardiocentrum, Nemocnice Podlesí a. s., Třinec

⁴ Ústav patologické fyziologie, 1. lékařská fakulta Univerzity Karlovy, Praha

⁵ Interní oddělení, Sdružené zdravotnické zařízení, Krnov

⁶ Hyperbarická komora a poradna pro potápěče, Kladno, Česká republika

The cause of decompression sickness (DCS) in scuba divers is bubble formation in tissues and venous blood during ascent. Divers with patent foramen ovale (PFO) are at increased risk of paradoxical gas embolism in the brain or other organs. DCS with neurological symptoms may unmask a hitherto asymptomatic intracardiac shunt. The case report of 3 scuba divers investigated for PFO after repeat DCS is presented. In two cases, atrial septal defect and PFO were found and closed successfully with an Amplatz occluder. Exclusion of PFO in the third patient helped to establish the diagnosis of cervical intervertebral disc prolapse.

Keywords: Patent foramen ovale; Scuba diving; Decompression sickness

Published: July 1, 2006  Show citation