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Thread: What medical testing should Rebreather divers get?

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    Default What medical testing should Rebreather divers get?

    I was a rescue diver for the fire department. Before we could get in the water we where required to pass a medical test. It consisted of: Background, stress test, hearing test, lung test(blow into a spirometer), a couple of things involving rubber gloves and KY, some x rays.

    How about some expert opinions on extent and frequency for medical testing for Rebreather diving.

    Also we swam hard at least twice a week. The test for surface rescue (lifeguard) requires 500 meters or 550 yards in 10 miniutes.

    best wishes and stay safe.

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    Wreck Diving Moderator acelockco's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jeryruse View Post
    How about some expert opinions on extent and frequency for medical testing for Rebreather diving.
    Not unless they are doing it for a government agency or something like that. As long as someone is using a rebreather for recreational use, then there is no reason or right to test them at all.


    And please, keep your KY to yourself. LOL

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    Medical testing by employers is done primarily for liability reasons. To require medical testing for rebreather divers opens up a whole can of worms on a slippery slope. Who would enforce it, who would penalize for violation of it, and would it pass Constitutional muster although that never seemed to stop the government from infringing on Citizens rights.

    How about medical testing to drive a car?

    I think most CCR divers would be opposed to testing.

    Ace, he was being trained to do preventative pelvic exams on female athletes.
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    Default Less effort

    I believe that breathing from a rebreather is easier than
    breathing from an open circuit regulator. Therefore rebreather
    divers have an advantage of reduced O2 consumption due
    to reduced resistance when breathing. The bottles are better
    positioned, providing greater bouyancy than with the single
    open circuit cylinder or even the doubles, again reducing the
    demand on O2. Physically, if an open water certified diver is
    fit to dive, then that same rebreather certified diver is fit to
    dive rebreather.
    Lars

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    Quote Originally Posted by lars2923 View Post
    I believe that breathing from a rebreather is easier than breathing from an open circuit regulator.
    There isn't a rebreather on the market that is as easy to breath as an open circuit regulator. The Work Of Breathing of any rebreather is always noticeable, the only units that has been tested to reach the standards to my knowledge are the APD units. Whereas a regulator easily surpasses WOB standards.

    Any diver should be fit. There are so many unkowns in diving and human physiology that it is impossible to find out who is 'fit to dive'. I complete a HSE medical in the UK every year, which includes :- Hearing, lung function (spirometry and peak flow), eyesight, fitness (VO2 max calculation based on a step test), neurological, ECG for over 40's and diabetes to name a few. This test is required for anyone working in the diving industry in the UK from DiveMaster upwards.

    If every diver had to complete this Medical Exam I wonder how many would pass just the 'fitness' test?
    For PSAI/SSI/SDI/TDI Diver Training or RHIB Charter in Cornwall visit - Atlantic Scuba

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    Quote Originally Posted by Okeanos View Post
    Any diver should be fit. There are so many unknowns in diving and human physiology that it is impossible to find out who is 'fit to dive'. I complete a HSE medical in the UK every year
    Unfortunately our government in the US doesn't pay for our medical insurance. If it is impossible to find out who is fit to dive as you said, what help is taking a medical test?

    Everything in life has risks, if someone is really worried, then maybe they should stay home and hide from the world. In the mean time, I would rather die diving then waste my entire life hiding from everything exciting.

    I also think diver education is going to do much more for diver safety then a medical exam.

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    I have used both the Cis-Lunar Mark 6 and the Inspiration. My personal observations about work of breathing, a strange term in itself, is not calibrated like a wob test rig like used by APD.

    I dove with a pilot valve style open circuit regulator for decades. Once my reg cracked open, especially if I were to inhale fast and deep, it opens up to the point where there was a slight overpressure. When using that as a comparison, Okeanos is right....

    With shoulder mounted counterlungs such as the Mark 6 and Inspo, my personal results are it does not give me a slight overpressure like my 2nd stage did, but at no time unless I had insufficient counterlung volume from descending did it ever feel like it required any effort in the slightest.....so I see Lars' point.

    But I hear rear mounted counterlung designs like the Draeger can be a pain to breathe from depending on body attitude.

    Yet contrast that with the Boris that uses huge gas pathways and users do not report Draeger like issues.

    I think both camps posting here are right in what is said about wob because it all depends on the counterlung location, the design, and what open circuit regulator you are comparing too, as I have used open circuit regs that took an effort I could discern to breathe from, whereas my Inspo and the Mark 6 does not.
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    Default Why just rebreather

    Why would a rebreather diver need a medical vs an OW diver?
    Lars

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    Quote Originally Posted by lars2923 View Post
    Why would a rebreather diver need a medical vs an OW diver?
    If you're asking Helen I doubt if she will respond

    I think all divers should have a full medical, just to be on the safer side of things.
    For PSAI/SSI/SDI/TDI Diver Training or RHIB Charter in Cornwall visit - Atlantic Scuba

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    What spammer?!
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