Original articles
Shallow-water spinal injuries - devastating but preventable
Abstract
Objective. To evaluate the demographics, clinical features and outcomes of shallow-water diving injuries in an acute spinal cord injury (ASCI) unit.
Materials and methods. All patients admitted to the ASCI unit with diving-related injuries were entered into the study. Data regarding demographics, injury profile and subsequent management were collated. All case notes and X-rays were reviewed. Ethical approval was obtained.
Results. Forty-six patients were reviewed from 19 April 2003 to 8 February 2009. A steady annual increase in diving injuries was noted. A very specific patient profile was identified: 91% male incidence, average age 23 years, 37% admitted alcohol use, with a summer-time prevalence. Compression-flexion type injuries were most prevalent, with an orthopaedic level of C5 and neurological level of C4 being the most common injury sites. A third of diving injuries occurred in the sea, 20% in swimming pools, 20% in rivers, 11% in tidal pools and 4% in dams.
Conclusion. A very specific patient profile was identified, and the severity of shallow-water diving injuries was confirmed. No current preventive programme exists except for a single television advertisement. These data will be used to motivate further educational and preventive programmes for reducing the incidence of diving-related injuries.
Authors' affiliations
A J Vlok, Neurosurgeon
J Petersen,
R N Dunn,
J Stander,
Full Text
PDF (879KB)Keywords
Cite this article
Article History
Date published: 2010-10-01
Article Views
Full text views: 1413
Comments on this article
*Read our policy for posting comments here