Introduction: While otic barotrauma (OBT) is a common condition experienced by divers, data related to military divers is limited. This study aimed to determine the incidence of OBT in Canadian armed forces (CAF) shallow-water diver (SWD) students trained through the Fleet Dive Unit (Atlantic) (FDU[A]) between 2011-2015.
Methods: A retrospective cohort evaluation was performed. The study group consisted of all SWD candidates who embarked on an SWD course through FDU(A) between 2011-2015. A total of 241 subjects comprised the final data analysis.
Results: A total of 56 individuals (23.2%) suffered 60 instances of OBT, yielding an incidence density rate of 8.68 per 1,000 person-days on course. A total of 73 diving days (10.44 per 1,000 planned person-course days, or 4.87 diving days per course) were lost due to OBT. Of the reported OBT cases, 18% resulted in cessation of training, 72% in temporary removal from diving. There was no statistically significant association between sex, history of environmental allergies, previous dive qualification, age or rank and the development of OBT.
Conclusions: This study reveals that OBT is prevalent among CAF SWD candidates, with operational impact due to missed diving days. This study is limited, and further prospective study is recommended.
Keywords: diving medicine; ear barotrauma; military diving.
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