{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,7]],"date-time":"2026-10-07T23:17:17Z","timestamp":1791415037926,"version":"4.3.3"},"reference-count":18,"publisher":"Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine Journal","issue":"4","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Diving Hyperb Med"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Introduction: Characterisation of the recreational diving community could help to identify scuba divers at risk for accidents.\nMethods: We performed a cross-sectional evaluation in a federation for recreational scuba divers in Belgium (Duiken.Vlaanderen). Using binary logistic regression, factors predictive for accidents leading to hospitalisation were identified.\nResults: Of the 710 members, 210 (29.6%) participated in the survey, representing 140,133 dives. Age was &amp;#x0003E; 50 years in 55% and the median (interquartile range [IQR]) number of dives was 380 (IQR 140\u2013935). Cardiac (9.5%), orthopaedic (11.0%), ear-nose-throat (ENT, 10.5%) and allergic diseases (30.5%) were the top four morbidities. Twenty percent reported taking cardiovascular medication. Decompression accidents, barotrauma of the ear and musculoskeletal injuries were reported in 11.0, 11.9 and 11.0%. Fifty-five divers (26.2%) reported incidents not necessitating a medical intervention. For 36 divers (17.1%), medical interventions were necessary. Among these, 13 divers (6.2%) were hospitalised at least once and 12 (5.7%) of these needed hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). The absolute risk for hospitalisation or HBOT was 0.01% per dive. Age, advanced diving qualification, more dives annually, cardiac or ENT pathology and cardiac medication were significantly associated with an increased likelihood of hospitalisation resulting from diving accidents. In a multivariate risk model, ENT comorbidity (odds ratio [OR] 9.3; P = 0.006) and cardiac medication (OR 5.6; P = 0.05) predicted hospitalisation due to a diving accident.\nConclusions: One in six recreational scuba divers required a medical intervention at least once during their career, while 6.2% were hospitalised or received HBOT. Ear nose and throat comorbidity and cardiac medication were strong predictors for accidents. These should be given sufficient weight in dive medical examination.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.28920\/dhm54.4.287-295","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,17]],"date-time":"2024-12-17T06:25:12Z","timestamp":1734416712000},"page":"287-295","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Modelling the risk factors for accidents in recreational divers: results from a cross-sectional evaluation in Belgium"],"prefix":"10.28920","volume":"54","author":[{"name":"Ghent University, Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences, Ghent, Belgium","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kurt G","family":"Tournoy","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"name":"Department of Respiratory Medicine, Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Hospital Aalst, Belgium","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Martijn","family":"Vandebotermet","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"name":"Department of Respiratory Medicine, General Hospital Groeninge, Kortrijk, Belgium","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Philippe","family":"Neuville","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"name":"General Physician, Ostend, Belgium","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Peter","family":"Germonpr\u00e9","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"name":"Centre for Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Military Hospital, Brussels, Belgium","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"11463","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,12,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref0","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"1. 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