Faculdade de Medicina da, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua Gamboa 245, Bairro Paraiso, Santo André, SP CEP: 09190-670, Brazil.
Travel Med Infect Dis. 2005 Feb;3(1):19-25. doi: 10.1016/j.tmaid.2004.06.002.
Due to the condition known as middle ear squeeze, scuba diving has become one of the main causes of barotrauma, and the acute form of this condition has been relatively well established. However, there are few reports available on clinical or laboratory findings in divers who practise repeated diving. The objective of the present study was to assess the otological effects of repeated dives.
This was an observational study conducted on 19 recreational scuba divers, considered to be experienced divers according to the criteria established by the Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI). These divers undertook four dives per day on five consecutive days, and their tympanic membranes were assessed using tympanometry and otoscopy. Data were analysed using the chi(2)-test for trend. The level of statistical significance was set at p<0.05 in all analyses.
The findings suggest that multiple scuba dives over a short period of time cause damage to the structures of the ear, as evidenced by the tympanometric and otoscopic findings, which revealed cumulative effects of pressure against the tympanic membrane and within the middle ear. This condition was not observed when surface intervals exceeded 11h.
The results suggest that extending surface intervals may offer protection against middle ear barotrauma in recreational scuba diving.
由于中耳挤压的状况，水肺潜水已成为气压创伤的主要原因之一，这种情况的急性形式已经得到了相对较好的确立。然而，对于反复潜水的潜水员的临床或实验室发现，相关报道较少。本研究的目的是评估重复潜水对耳科的影响。
这是一项对 19 名被认为是根据专业潜水教练协会 (PADI) 制定的标准具有丰富潜水经验的休闲潜水员进行的观察性研究。这些潜水员每天进行四次潜水，连续五天。使用鼓室图和声镜检查评估他们的鼓膜。使用卡方趋势检验分析数据。所有分析的统计显着性水平均设为 p<0.05。
研究结果表明，短时间内多次水肺潜水会对耳朵结构造成损害，鼓室图和声镜检查结果表明，对鼓膜和中耳内的压力有累积效应。当表面间隔超过 11 小时时，不会观察到这种情况。
结果表明，延长表面间隔可能会为休闲水肺潜水者提供中耳气压创伤的保护。
