Divers Alert Network, Durham (NC), USA.
Corresponding author: Dr Matias Nochetto, Vice President, Medical Services, Divers Alert Network, Durham NC, USA
Diving Hyperb Med. 2023 Mar 31;53(1):7-15. doi: 10.28920/dhm53.1.7-15.
Minors have been scuba diving for decades, and while the initial concerns about potential long-term complications related to bone development appear to be unfounded, the incidence of scuba diving injuries among them has been poorly studied.
We reviewed 10,159 cases recorded in the DAN Medical Services call centre database from 2014 through 2016 and identified 149 cases of injured divers younger than 18 years. Records were analysed for case categorisation on the most common dive injuries. Information about demographics, level of training, risk factors, and relevant behavioural aspects were collected when available.
While the most common reason for the call was to rule out decompression sickness, the majority of cases pertained to ear and sinus issues. However, 15% of the dive-related injuries involving minors had a final diagnosis of pulmonary barotrauma (PBt). While no reliable data is available on the incidence of PBt in adult divers, the authors' impression based on personal experience suggests that the number of cases of PBt in minors trends higher than in the general diving population. The narratives on some relevant records describe unmanageable levels of anxiety leading to panic.
Based on the results and narratives on these cases, it is reasonable to infer that psychological immaturity, suboptimal management of adverse situations, and inadequate supervision might have led to severe injuries among these minor divers.
数十年来，未成年人一直从事水肺潜水运动，尽管最初人们担心与骨骼发育相关的潜在长期并发症，但目前看来这些担忧似乎没有依据，而关于未成年人潜水受伤的发生率却鲜有研究。
我们回顾了 2014 年至 2016 年期间 DAN 医疗服务呼叫中心数据库中记录的 10159 例病例，确定了 149 例年龄在 18 岁以下的受伤潜水员。根据最常见的潜水伤害对病例进行分类，并分析记录。在有可用信息的情况下，收集有关人口统计学、培训水平、风险因素和相关行为方面的信息。
虽然打电话的最常见原因是排除减压病，但大多数病例都与耳朵和鼻窦问题有关。然而，15%的未成年潜水相关伤害有最终诊断为肺气压伤（PBt）。虽然没有关于成人潜水员中 PBt 发生率的可靠数据，但作者根据个人经验的印象表明，未成年潜水员中 PBt 的病例数呈上升趋势，高于一般潜水人群。一些相关记录的描述中提到了难以控制的焦虑程度，导致恐慌。
基于这些案例的结果和描述，可以合理推断，心理不成熟、对不良情况的管理不善以及监督不足可能导致这些未成年潜水员受重伤。
