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Review
. 2023 Jan 4;10(1):20.
doi: 10.3390/jcdd10010020.

SCUBA Diving in Adult Congenital Heart Disease

Robert M Kauling  1 , Rienk Rienks  2   3 , Judith A A E Cuypers  1 , Harald T Jorstad  4 , Jolien W Roos-Hesselink  1   5
Affiliations
Review

SCUBA Diving in Adult Congenital Heart Disease

Robert M Kauling et al. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis. .

Abstract

Conventionally, scuba diving has been discouraged for adult patients with congenital heart disease (ACHD). This restrictive sports advice is based on expert opinion in the absence of high-quality diving-specific studies. However, as survival and quality of life in congenital heart disease (CHD) patients have dramatically improved in the last decades, a critical appraisal whether such restrictive sports advice is still applicable is warranted. In this review, the cardiovascular effects of diving are described and a framework for the work-up for ACHD patients wishing to engage in scuba diving is provided. In addition, diving recommendations for specific CHD diagnostic groups are proposed.

Keywords: congenital heart disease; fitness to dive; scuba diving.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Evaluating fitness-to-dive in ACHD patients. * Reassessment after clinical work-up. + Conditional, non-strenuous diving.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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