Meisenheimer Lucky, Meisenheimer John, Meisenheimer Jake A
Internal Medicine, Division of Dermatology, Orlando Regional Medical Center, Orlando, USA.
Internal Medicine, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Tampa, USA.
Cureus. 2023 Jul 13;15(7):e41816. doi: 10.7759/cureus.41816. eCollection 2023 Jul.
Underwater hockey (UWH) is a sport played at the bottom of a pool without the use of breathing devices such as scuba equipment. It has been classified as an extreme apneic sport based on perceptions of prolonged underwater submersion times during play. This study measured 2000 submersion times during UWH games and compared the average measured submersion times to estimates by UWH players and aquatics directors. The average measured submersion time was 11.0 seconds (SD:3.7) with a range of 4 to 27 seconds, but aquatics directors' estimates were over 100 percent longer (22.7 seconds). While observed active drop times typically lasted for 12.1 seconds (SD: 3.7), observed drop times with no puck lasted on average 9.3 seconds (SD:3.0). When compared to director and player estimates, actual/observed drop times were significantly (p<0.05) lower for overall drop times, active drop times, and drop times without a puck. The average submersion times measured in this study more closely resembled competitive swimming, a breathing-controlled sport, and contradicted lay press reports of routine submersion for one to three minutes, which implies a risk for a hypoxic blackout. The results of this study may mitigate safety concerns about UWH as a high-risk sport for a hypoxic blackout.
水下曲棍球（UWH）是一项在泳池底部进行的运动，不使用诸如水肺设备等呼吸装置。基于对比赛中长时间水下潜水时间的认知，它被归类为一项极限屏气运动。本研究测量了水下曲棍球比赛中的2000次潜水时间，并将测量的平均潜水时间与水下曲棍球运动员和水上运动主管的估计值进行了比较。测量的平均潜水时间为11.0秒（标准差：3.7），范围为4至27秒，但水上运动主管的估计值则超过了100%（22.7秒）。虽然观察到的有球下降时间通常持续12.1秒（标准差：3.7），但观察到的无球下降时间平均持续9.3秒（标准差：3.0）。与主管和运动员的估计值相比，总体下降时间、有球下降时间和无球下降时间的实际/观察到的下降时间显著更低（p<0.05）。本研究中测量的平均潜水时间更类似于竞技游泳，一项呼吸控制的运动，这与大众媒体报道的常规潜水一到三分钟相矛盾，这意味着存在缺氧昏厥的风险。本研究结果可能会减轻对水下曲棍球作为一项因缺氧昏厥而具有高风险运动的安全担忧。
