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Hawai'i Journal of Health & Social... Dec 2023Concussions are caused by physical trauma to the head, face, or neck and can be sustained while surfing, increasing the risk of drowning. The purpose of this pilot study...
Concussions are caused by physical trauma to the head, face, or neck and can be sustained while surfing, increasing the risk of drowning. The purpose of this pilot study was to establish a preliminary assessment of concussion knowledge in a group of adult recreational surfers. Using the standardized Concussion Knowledge Index, an anonymous survey was conducted with 55 surfers. The Concussion Knowledge Index and similar statistical measures were used in a previous study of adult soccer players in England. Data from these 2 groups were compared. The preliminary data suggests that the group of adult surfers demonstrate more concussion knowledge than the group of adult soccer players. Further study into surfers' knowledge of concussion with a larger sample size could increase the clinical utility and generalizability of this study.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Soccer; Athletic Injuries; Pilot Projects; Brain Concussion; Athletes
PubMed: 38093760
DOI: No ID Found -
Injury Epidemiology Dec 2023Drowning is the leading cause of death for toddlers. When caregivers are knowledgeable about water safety, they can provide the best protection against drowning. The aim...
BACKGROUND
Drowning is the leading cause of death for toddlers. When caregivers are knowledgeable about water safety, they can provide the best protection against drowning. The aim of this study is to survey caregivers of toddlers to better understand factors associated with water safety knowledge, attitudes about pool supervision, and toddler water competency skills.
METHODS
An online survey of 650 parents/caregivers of 1-4-year-old toddlers asked about the caregiver's water safety and swimming background and views on pool supervision. Surveys included a true/false section of ten basic water safety knowledge questions. Caregivers also reported on toddler swim lesson history and whether their toddler could perform six standard water competency skills. Linear regression identified factors predictive of water safety knowledge.
RESULTS
On average, caregivers selected the correct answer on six out of ten water safety knowledge questions. Water safety knowledge was predicted by the relationship of the caregiver to the toddler, gender, race, education, prior CPR training, caregiver swim capability, and reported pool supervision style. On average, caregivers reported that their toddler could perform half of the water competency skills. The majority of the toddlers had taken swimming lessons. One third of caregivers believed that after a toddler has had swimming lessons, they don't need to be watched as closely when they are in a pool.
CONCLUSIONS
Findings suggest that water safety knowledge is poor and that there are misconceptions about toddler supervision needs. Efforts are needed to improve water safety knowledge and to change perceptions about supervision among caregivers of toddlers.
PubMed: 38093267
DOI: 10.1186/s40621-023-00479-w -
Radiography (London, England : 1995) Jan 2024Drowning is a comprehensive and exclusive diagnosis at autopsy. Autopsy findings such as pleural effusion and waterlogged lungs contribute to the diagnosis. Herein, we...
INTRODUCTION
Drowning is a comprehensive and exclusive diagnosis at autopsy. Autopsy findings such as pleural effusion and waterlogged lungs contribute to the diagnosis. Herein, we aim to reveal the practical usefulness and postmortem changes of the maxillary sinus fluid volume to diagnose drowning.
METHODS
We evaluated 52 drowning and 59 nondrowning cases. The maxillary sinus fluid volume was measured using a computed tomography (CT) scan, and pleural effusion volume and lung weight were manually measured at autopsy. The utility of these three indices for diagnosing drowning and its postmortem changes was evaluated.
RESULTS
The maxillary sinus fluid volume was significantly higher in drowning cases than in other external causes and cardiovascular death cases. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that a total maxillary sinus fluid volume >1.04 mL more usefully indicated drowning (odds ratio, 8.19) than a total pleural effusion volume >175 mL (odds ratio, 7.23) and a total lung weight >829 g (odds ratio, 2.29). The combination of maxillary sinus fluid volume and pleural effusion volume more effectively predicted drowning than one index alone. Moreover, the maxillary sinus fluid volume was less influenced by the postmortem interval than the other two indices up to a week after death.
CONCLUSION
Maxillary sinus fluid volume can be more useful than pleural effusion volume and lung weight with higher sensitivity and odds ratio for diagnosing drowning.
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
Fluid accumulation in both the maxillary sinuses strongly predicts drowning in the postmortem imaging.
Topics: Humans; Drowning; Maxillary Sinus; Autopsy; Pleural Effusion; Postmortem Changes
PubMed: 38091921
DOI: 10.1016/j.radi.2023.12.001 -
Injury Epidemiology Dec 2023Drowning is a major public health issue internationally. In August 2022, a report was released by members of the Central Texas Drowning Prevention Action Team that...
Drowning is a major public health issue internationally. In August 2022, a report was released by members of the Central Texas Drowning Prevention Action Team that provided data on drowning fatalities in Texas between 2006 and 2020 and offered recommendations for drowning prevention actions. The information in the Texas drowning report is an important contribution to the field of injury prevention. The aim of this editorial is to allow the information in the report to be available to a wider audience and potentially used as a model for other states.
PubMed: 38087381
DOI: 10.1186/s40621-023-00480-3 -
BMJ Global Health Dec 2023
Topics: Child; Humans; Drowning; Risk Factors
PubMed: 38081773
DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2023-014633 -
Journal of Safety Research Dec 2023This research evaluated existing health equity frameworks as they relate to social determinants of health (SDOHs) and individual factors that may impact injury outcomes...
INTRODUCTION
This research evaluated existing health equity frameworks as they relate to social determinants of health (SDOHs) and individual factors that may impact injury outcomes and identify gaps in coverage using the Healthy People (HP) 2030 key domains.
METHODS
The study used a list of health equity frameworks sourced from previous literature. SDOHs and individual factors from each framework were identified and categorized into the Healthy People 2030 domains. Five injury topic areas were used as examples for how SDOHs and individual factors can be compared to injury topic-specific health disparities to identify health equity frameworks to apply to injury research.
RESULTS
The study identified 59 SDOHs and individual factors from the list of 33 health equity frameworks. The number of SDOHs and individual factors identified varied by Healthy People 2030 domain: Neighborhood and Built Environment contained 16 (27.1%) SDOHs and individual actors, Social and Community Context contained 22 (37.3%), Economic Stability contained 10 (16.9%), Healthcare Access and Quality contained 10 (16.9%), and Education Access and Quality contained one (1.7%). Twenty-three (39.0%) SDOHs/individual factors related to traumatic brain injury, thirteen (22.0%) related to motor vehicle crashes and suicide, 11 (18.6%) related to drowning and older adult falls. Eight frameworks (24.2%) covered all HP 2030 key domains and may be applicable to injury topics.
CONCLUSIONS
Incorporating health equity into research is critical. Health equity frameworks can provide a way to systematically incorporate health equity into research. The findings from this study may be useful to health equity research by providing a resource to injury and other public health fields.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Health equity frameworks are a practical tool to guide injury research, translation, evaluation, and program implementation. The findings from this study can be used to guide the application of health equity frameworks in injury research for specific topic areas.
Topics: Humans; Aged; Social Determinants of Health; Health Equity; Delivery of Health Care; Public Health
PubMed: 38081722
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsr.2023.10.001 -
Journal of Safety Research Dec 2023Lifeguards must maintain alertness and monitor an aquatic space across extended periods. However, lifeguard research has yet to investigate a lifeguard's ability to...
INTRODUCTION
Lifeguards must maintain alertness and monitor an aquatic space across extended periods. However, lifeguard research has yet to investigate a lifeguard's ability to maintain performance over time and whether this is influenced by years of certified experience or the detection difficulty of a drowning incident. The aim of this study was to examine whether lifeguard experience, drowning duration, bather number, and time on task influences drowning detection performance.
METHOD
A total of 30 participants took part in nine 60-minute lifeguard specific tasks that included 11 drowning events occurring at five-minute intervals. Each task had manipulated conditions that acted as the independent variables, including bather number and drowning duration.
RESULTS
The experienced group detected a greater number of drowning events per task, compared to novice and naïve groups. Findings further highlighted that time, bather number, and drowning duration has a substantial influence on lifeguard specific drowning detection performance.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
It is hoped that the outcome of the study will have applied application in highlighting the critical need for lifeguard organizations to be aware of a lifeguard's capacity to sustain attention, and for researchers to explore methods for minimizing any decrement in vigilance performance.
Topics: Humans; Drowning; Wakefulness; Attention; Awareness
PubMed: 38081714
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsr.2023.08.014 -
Harmful Algae Dec 2023On May 11, 2020, five surfers drowned after asphyxiation in a massive foam bank near the Dutch coast. We present a detailed account of the event and an examination of...
On May 11, 2020, five surfers drowned after asphyxiation in a massive foam bank near the Dutch coast. We present a detailed account of the event and an examination of factors that govern local foam events, that are traditionally caused by Phaeocystis globosa (Prymnesiophyceae). The data support the hypothesis that the foam originated from a Phaeocystis bloom which if correct would make this accident the first report of human fatalities due to a harmful algal bloom in The Netherlands, and the first globally due to a Phaeocystis bloom. The rarity of massive foam banks and the absence of local real-time plankton monitoring makes it difficult to accurately predict dangerous situations as in 2020. As a prevention, surfers and other water sportsmen need to apply good seamanship during stormy and foamy conditions.
Topics: Humans; Haptophyta; Harmful Algal Bloom; North Sea; Plankton; Netherlands
PubMed: 38061824
DOI: 10.1016/j.hal.2023.102545 -
China CDC Weekly Nov 2023This study seeks to elucidate the evolving trend and identify disparities among subgroups in the mortality rate due to unintentional drowning in individuals under the...
INTRODUCTION
This study seeks to elucidate the evolving trend and identify disparities among subgroups in the mortality rate due to unintentional drowning in individuals under the age of 20 from the timeframe of 2013 to 2021 in China.
METHODS
Data retrieved from the National Mortality Surveillance System served as a foundation for estimating the unintentional drowning mortality rate. The inadvertent drowning mortality rate for individuals below the age of 20 was computed, differentiated by categorization groups such as age, gender, areas, and regions within each given year. The linear regression model was employed to calculate the annual percent of change (APC) with its 95% confidence interval (), providing a depiction of the mortality rate's shifting trend.
RESULTS
In 2021, the inadvertent drowning fatality rate for individuals under 20 years of age in China was recorded at 3.28 per 100,000. A steady reduction was observed in the national drowning mortality rate from 6.60 per 100,000 in 2013 down to 3.28 per 100,000 in 2021, signifying a cumulative decrease of 50.30% [APC=-9.06% (95% : -11.31%, -6.76%)]. Across all sexes, regions, age groups, and residential areas, a consistent decline in mortality rates was evident between 2013 and 2021.
CONCLUSION
An analysis of the data from 2013 to 2021 reveals a declining trend in the mortality rate due to unintentional drowning among individuals under 20 years of age in China. However, the rate of decline varied when stratified by sex, urban versus rural locations, age-specific groups, and geographical regions.
PubMed: 38047245
DOI: 10.46234/ccdcw2023.198 -
Cureus Nov 2023Background Traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA) remains a challenging problem in terms of diagnosis and management. This is due to difficulty distinguishing the TCA cause and...
Background Traumatic cardiac arrest (TCA) remains a challenging problem in terms of diagnosis and management. This is due to difficulty distinguishing the TCA cause and therefore understanding the pathophysiology. The goal of this study was to analyze a contemporary series of TCA patients and classify the causes of TCA into exsanguination (EX) arrest and non-exsanguination (non-EX) arrest. Methods This was a retrospective review of patients suffering TCA during 2019 at a level I trauma center. We excluded patients whose arrests were from medical causes such as ventricular fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia, pulmonary embolus, etc., hanging, drowning, thermal injury, outside transfer, and pediatric patients (age <13 as this is our institutional definition for pediatric trauma patients). We reviewed pre-hospital run-sheets, hospital charts including autopsy findings, and classified patients into EX and non-EX TCA. We defined a witnessed arrest (WA) using the traditional outside hospital cardiac (non-trauma) arrest definition. Outcomes included the incidence of EX arrest, survival to discharge, and hospital costs. Descriptive statistics were used. Significance was set at p < 0.05. Results After exclusion, 54 patients suffered TCA with a mean age of 45.9 (±19.8) years. Eighty-three percent of patients were male. The average cost per TCA was ~$16,000. Of the 54 TCAs, 26 (48%) were WA, with one (1.85%) survivor (no non-WA TCA patients survived). Twenty-two (41%) patients died from EX-arrest; 59% penetrating vs. 28% blunt (p = 0.03). The one EX-arrest survivor was a 19-year-old gunshot wound to the leg whose arrest was witnessed, with a short downtime, and the cause of arrest (bleeding leg wound) was quickly reversible. Conclusion We classified 41% of TCAs to have died from EX-arrest with only a 1.85% survival rate. This study calls for a TCA pre-hospital registry with accurate and consistent data definitions and collection. The registry should capture the cause of arrest for future research, management decision-making, and prognostication.
PubMed: 38046709
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.48181