Report on Decompression Illness, Diving Fatalities and Project Dive

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Appendix B: Fatality Case <strong>Report</strong>sthat the man collapsed upon returning toshore after an ocean dive. No other details areknown.Proximate Cause: Other03-18 Experienced diver developed respiratorydistress during decompression stop,lost consciousness at surfaceCause of Death: Decompression sicknessThis 47-year-old female was an experienceddiver with nitrox certification. On her ninthconsecutive day of diving, she entered thewater for her third dive of the day. Previousdives that day were to a maximum depth of105 and 112 fsw (32 and 34 msw). After divingto 139 fsw (42 msw), the decedent developedrespiratory distress during a decompressionstop. She lost consciousness on the surface andcould not be resuscitated.03-39 Experienced diver, electrocuted infreshwater lakeCause of Death: ElectrocutionThis 52-year-old male had open water certificationand documented diving experience. Heentered the water alone off his boat dock torun electrical wiring for the dock. The decedent’sbody was not recovered until threedays later. After the recovery, another diversuffered an electrical shock after diving torecover some of the decedent’s gear. An autopsyreport was not made available for review,but the coroner determined that the cause ofdeath was drowning due to an electrocution.This probably represents simply an accidentalelectrocution due to faulty wiring.02-64 Experienced instructor and technicaldiver, made dives in river, struck by boatCause of Death: Open Head Injury, Struckby Boatbuddy. Toward the end of a dive, the decedent’sbuddy ascended because he was low onair. The decedent did not surface in a reasonableamount of time, and a search was initiated.The body was recovered the next day, withevidence on the head and back of a propellerstrike.03-50 Infrequent diver, entangled in kelpCause of Death: Near drowning with complicationsdue to entangled in kelpThis 42-year-old female received her openwater certification five years previously, butshe had not made a dive in at least two years.Shortly after descent, she apparently becameentangled in kelp, panicked, and then grabbedat the regulators and masks of other diverswho attempted to render aid. The diver wasbrought to the surface and transported to alocal medical treatment facility, where shedied of complications of near-drowning.03-44 Infrequent diver lost consciousness atsafety stopCause of Death: Asphyxia due to pneumothorax,spontaneousThis 32-year-old female had open-water certification,but she had not made a dive in theprevious five years. A little anxious before thedive, she was paired with the divemaster. Shemade a seemingly uneventful dive from a boatto 76 fsw (23 msw) for 25 minutes. While at thesafety stop, the diver lost consciousness andcould not be resuscitated. The autopsy discloseda pneumothorax and multiple blebs onboth lungs. These blebs can rupture spontaneouslyand require treatment if the person ison the surface. When they rupture at depth,the results can be catastrophic, as it was in thiscase.This 40-year-old male was an experiencedtechnical diver and dive instructor. He wasmaking a series of dives in a river with aDAN’s <strong>Report</strong> on Decompression Illness, Diving Fatalities and Project Dive Exploration: 2004 Edition 127
Appendix B: Fatality Case <strong>Report</strong>s03-59 Struggle at surface before dive,breathing difficulty at bottom, panickedand brought to surfaceCause of Death: Pulmonary edemaThis 57-year-old male received his open-watercertification two years earlier and had madefewer than 30 lifetime dives. He made a divefrom a boat to 110 fsw (34 msw) in a strongcurrent to explore a wreck. It was his first diveof the year, and he struggled during the surfaceswim before descent. While at the bottom,the decedent experienced difficulty breathing;he would not accept alternate air sources fromdive buddies. He panicked and was broughtto the surface where resuscitation efforts wereunsuccessful. The autopsy disclosed changesconsistent with drowning as well as pulmonarybarotrauma, hypertrophy of the leftventricle of the heart and moderate coronaryartery disease. The medical examiner andcoroner felt that this death was due to immersionpulmonary edema and that the pulmonarybarotrauma was caused during therescue efforts when the diver was rapidlybrought to the surface. The diver’s history ofhaving breathing difficulties at the bottomsupports that theory.03-87 Undiagnosed internal bleeding, difficultybreathing, lost consciousness duringascentCause of Death: Intraperitoneal hemorrhagedue to ruptured spleenThis 51-year-old male had advanced openwatercertification and had been a diver forfour years. He was taking several medicationsand had a history of high serum cholesterollevels. The decedent also reportedly complainedof back pain for the week before thisdive. The diver made a freshwater dive with abuddy to a depth of 68 feet (21 meters). Duringdescent, the diver seemed uncomfortable withhis primary regulator and switched to hisoctopus. He signaled that he was having troublewith his air source and wanted to abort thedive. He lost consciousness during the ascent,and he was found face down on the surface.The autopsy disclosed a ru p t u red spleen,which must have been a result of previoustrauma and was likely the source of his backpain. There was a large amount of blood in theperitoneal cavity, which would have resultedin both the difficult breathing and the loss ofconsciousness. The pathologist postulated thatthe increased ambient pressure and compressionexperienced during the dive contributedto the ruptured spleen, but that is not howincreased pressure affects solid organs like thespleen.03-38 Reef-hook dive in strong current,entanglement and panicCause of Death: Anoxic brain injury due tonear drowning incidentThis 45-year-old female was an experienced,certified diver performing a "reef hook" divein rough seas and a strong current. She waspart of a large group of divers off a liveaboard.The diver hooked onto the reef but could notunhook. She panicked and lost a fin and hermask as she struggled in the strong current.The diver was brought to the surface andreceived medical attention, with a subsequenttransfer to a medical treatment facility. Shedied three days later.128DAN’s <strong>Report</strong> on Decompression Illness, Diving Fatalities and Project Dive Exploration: 2004 Edition
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1. INTRODUCTIONDivers Alert Network
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Section 1. Introduction1.3 Diving F
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2.2 PDE 2003This report includes da
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Section 2 - Project Dive Exploratio
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Figure 2.4-2 describes the breathin
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Figures 2.5-2 and 2.5-3 indicate th
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Case #2The diver was a 29-year-old
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3. Dive InjuriesSection 3 - Dive In
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Section 3 - Dive InjuriesFigure 3.1
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Section 3 - Dive Injuriesmost sever
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Section 3 - Dive Injuries3.3 Physic
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Section 4 - Dive FatalitiesOur data
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Page 140 and 141: NotesDAN’s Report</strong
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