DIVING

2. Dive Injuries
There were 136 cases involving scuba, equating to 4,368 estimated emergency department presentations (95% CI
1,334, 7,400), with an estimated 1114 in 2010, 518 in 2011, 1297 in 2012 and 1438 in 2013. Of those, 3,159 (72%)
were male and 1,209 (28%) female. Care should be taken when extrapolating small raw numbers, in this case probably
anything less than 2000 cases, because a few extra cases in the sample can grossly inflate the estimated number of
cases. That said, the following tables and figures offer a guide only to the types of injuries that might be seen in any
year in emergency departments that receive divers. The actual number might vary from almost zero cases to twice as
many as estimated (that is, the confidence interval) as shown in Figure 2.2-2, the monthly estimated number of cases
with confidence interval whiskers.
The estimated mean age of patients presenting at emergency departments with scuba related injuries is shown in Table
2.2-2. The wide confidence intervals indicate how imprecise these estimates are.
Table 2.2-2 Estimated mean age of patients presenting at emergency departments for scuba related injuries between 2010-13, by sex
Sex n (%) Mean Age (yrs) 95% CI
Female 1,209 (28) 36.1 10.9, 61.3
Male 3,159 (72) 38.7 11.9, 65.6
Total 4,368 (100) 38.0 11.6, 64.4
Figures 2.2-1 and 2.2-2 show the estimated monthly distribution of emergency department presentations.
900
800
700
Estimated Number of cases
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Month
Figure 2.2-1 Monthly distribution of estimated US Emergency Department admissions for scuba injuries, 2010-13
As can be seen in both Figures 2.2-1 and 2.2-2, there is considerable variability month by month but overall injuries
approximate the same monthly distribution as fatalities (see Section 1), peaking each-year around July and tapering off
for winter.
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Annual Diving Report – 2012-2015 Edition