An investigation of ear trauma in divers, including ear barotrauma and ear infection.

Sophie Mawle (Corresponding / Lead Author), Craig Jackson (Corresponding / Lead Author)

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    A sample of 142 divers including technical, recreational and instructors were
    examined via postal questionnaire to determine prevalence of ear barotrauma, related barotrauma symptoms and middle ear
    infection. Sixty-four percent of divers reported symptoms of barotrauma, which included pain (47.9%), temporary deafness with
    tinnitus (27.5%) and vertigo (9.9%). The prevalence of middle ear infection was present in over a third of the total sample
    (37.3%), and were significantly more prevalent in the left ear than the right ear (P=.016). Consistently wearing a hood when diving
    was associated with greater barotrauma symptoms than wearing a hood only in cold conditions (P<0.00). A significant
    relationship was found between barotrauma symptoms and diver separation (P<0.00), and the implications are discussed with
    relevance to the finding that nearly 27% of divers reported incidents involving separation from buddies when diving.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)47-50
    JournalEuropean Journal of Hyperbaric and Underwater Medicine
    Volume3
    Issue number2
    Publication statusPublished (VoR) - 2002

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