PMID- 35732278
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20220624
LR  - 20230702
IS  - 1833-3516 (Print)
IS  - 2209-1491 (Electronic)
IS  - 1833-3516 (Linking)
VI  - 52
IP  - 2
DP  - 2022 Jun 30
TI  - Decompression illness in Finnish technical divers: a follow-up study on incidence 
      and self-treatment.
PG  - 78-84
LID - 10.28920/dhm52.2.74-84 [doi]
AB  - INTRODUCTION: Technical diving is increasing in popularity in Finland, and 
      therefore the number of decompression illness (DCI) cases is also increasing 
      among technical divers. Although hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT) remains the 
      standard of care, there are anecdotal reports of technical divers treating mild 
      DCI symptoms themselves and not seeking a medical evaluation and possible 
      recompression therapy. This study aimed to make an epidemiologic inventory of 
      technical diving-related DCI symptoms, to establish the incidence of 
      self-treatment and to determine the apparent effectiveness of different treatment 
      methods. METHODS: A one-year prospective survey with online questionnaires was 
      conducted. Fifty-five experienced and highly trained Finnish technical divers 
      answered the survey and reported their diving activity, DCI symptoms, symptom 
      treatment, and treatment outcome. RESULTS: Of the reported 2,983 dives, 27 
      resulted in symptoms of DCI, which yielded an incidence of 91 per 10,000 dives in 
      this study. All of the reported DCI symptoms were mild, and only one diver 
      received HBOT. The most common self-treatments were oral hydration and rest. 
      First aid oxygen (FAO(2)) was used in 21% of cases. Eventually, none of the 
      divers had residual symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of self-treated DCI 
      cases was 27 times higher than that of HBO-treated DCI cases. There is a need to 
      improve divers' awareness of the importance of FAO(2) and other recommended first 
      aid procedures and to encourage divers to seek medical attention in case of 
      suspected DCI.
CI  - Copyright: This article is the copyright of the authors who grant Diving and 
      Hyperbaric Medicine a non-exclusive licence to publish the article in electronic 
      and other forms.
FAU - Tuominen, Laura J
AU  - Tuominen LJ
AD  - Helsinki University, Helsinki, Finland.
AD  - Department of Anaesthesia, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.
AD  - Corresponding author: Dr Laura Tuominen, Helsinki University, Yliopistonkatu 4, 
      00100 Helsinki, Finland, tuominenl@gmail.com.
FAU - Sokolowski, Sofia
AU  - Sokolowski S
AD  - University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
FAU - Lundell, Richard V
AU  - Lundell RV
AD  - Helsinki University, Helsinki, Finland.
AD  - Diving Medical Centre, Centre for Military Medicine, Finnish Defence Forces, 
      Helsinki, Finland.
FAU - Raisanen-Sokolowski, Anne K
AU  - Raisanen-Sokolowski AK
AD  - Helsinki University, Helsinki, Finland.
AD  - Diving Medical Centre, Centre for Military Medicine, Finnish Defence Forces, 
      Helsinki, Finland.
AD  - Department of Pathology, HUSLAB, Helsinki University Hospital, and Helsinki 
      University, Helsinki, Finland.
AD  - DAN Europe Foundation, Finnish Division, Roseto, Italy.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PL  - Australia
TA  - Diving Hyperb Med
JT  - Diving and hyperbaric medicine
JID - 101282742
SB  - IM
MH  - Decompression/adverse effects
MH  - *Decompression Sickness/epidemiology/etiology/therapy
MH  - *Diving/adverse effects
MH  - Finland/epidemiology
MH  - Follow-Up Studies
MH  - Humans
MH  - Incidence
MH  - Prospective Studies
PMC - PMC9527095
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - Cold
OT  - Decompression sickness
OT  - Epidemiology
OT  - First aid oxygen
OT  - Hyperbaric oxygen treatment
OT  - Technical diving
OT  - Trimix
COIS- Conflict of interest and funding: The corresponding author has received personal 
      funding for research leave from The Finnish Society of Diving and Hyperbaric 
      Medicine. No conflicts of interest were declared.
EDAT- 2022/06/23 06:00
MHDA- 2022/06/25 06:00
PMCR- 2023/06/30
CRDT- 2022/06/22 19:52
PHST- 2021/11/28 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2022/02/10 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2022/06/22 19:52 [entrez]
PHST- 2022/06/23 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2022/06/25 06:00 [medline]
PHST- 2023/06/30 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - 10.28920/dhm52.2.74-84 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Diving Hyperb Med. 2022 Jun 30;52(2):78-84. doi: 10.28920/dhm52.2.74-84.