Abstract
Study design
Retrospective electronic medical record review combined with a telephone interview.
Objectives
The purpose of this study was to describe the neurological and socio-professional outcomes of patients with diving injuries of the cervical spine.
Setting
A tertiary hospital and its affiliated rehabilitation hospital in South Korea.
Methods
Electronic medical records were reviewed for medical and neurological information. Telephone interviews were then conducted with questionnaire regarding specific circumstances at the time of injury and social status.
Results
A total of 33 patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) due to diving accidents were analyzed, of which 27 responded to telephone interviews. Thirty-two (97%) participants were men and 27 (81.8%) were younger than 40 years at the time of injury. The American Spinal Injury Association grade A was the most common of all grades in 16 participants (48.5%), whereas C4 was the most common neurologic level of the injury (n = 13, 39.4%). SCI due to diving accidents most commonly occurred in swimming pools in holiday lodges (n = 12, 36.4%). Five out of 13 married couples with motor complete SCI were divorced or separated after injury. Eight persons resumed work or studies after the injury, with a mean return time of 33 (24.4) months.
Conclusions
SCI resulting from a diving accident not only causes severe functional impairment but can also result in changes in marital and employment status. This study may be used as a basic source of education and awareness to prevent further SCI due to diving accidents.
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Data availability
All datasets generated or analyzed in this study are available from the corresponding authors on responsible request.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the individuals with spinal cord injury who participated in the study.
Author contributions
JHY was responsible designing the study, writing the protocol, collecting data, extracting and analyzing data, interpreting results, creating figures and tables, and writing the report. YGY was responsible for designing the study, writing the initial protocol, and interpreting results. She contributed to collecting data and writing the report. JYL contributed to collecting data. MSB was responsible for designing the study, collecting data, interpreting the results. He provided feedback on the report and approved the final version.
Funding
This study was funded by SNUH biomedical research institute.
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The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of SNUH (IRB No. 1912-102-1089) and NTIRH (IRB No. NTRH-19008). We certify that all applicable institutional and governmental regulations concerning the ethical use of human volunteers were followed during the course of this research.
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Yun, JH., Yi, Y.G., Lee, J. et al. Rehabilitation outcome in people with spinal cord injuries resulting from diving in South Korea. Spinal Cord Ser Cases 8, 40 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41394-022-00509-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41394-022-00509-7
