Abstract
ABSTRACT
Scuba diving is a popular sport that carries minimal inherent risk for injury or death. The risk, particularly for pulmonary barotrauma (PBT) and arterial gas embolization (AGE), may be increased for asthmatics. Diving injury and fatality statistics, however, do not uniformly support this belief. As a result, some authorities believe that a subset of asthmatics with good exercise tolerance and normal pulmonary function may be candidates for diving. The assessment of these potential candidates is discussed; however, characterization and identification of these asthmatics remains controversial.
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