Current status of decompression illness in China: analysis of studies from 2001-2011.

摘要

To analyze the studies on decompression illness (DCI) in China in the past 10 years. We searched three Chinese databases and collected studies on DCI for further analysis. On the basis of findings, we proposed the issues on DCI in China. There are more than 50,000 active divers in China, the majority of whom are fishing divers. Among them, the incidence of DCI is still at a high level because they have little or no knowledge of diving and diving medicine, the quality of diving equipment is poor, and divers generally do not follow the regulations of diving. There are few dive physicians in China, and the general clinicians have poor knowledge about, or pay little attention to, dive medicine. This might be the major cause of the poor quality of studies on DCI. There is no consensus in the classification of DCI and treatment tables for DCI treatment. These are factors affecting systemic review and further meta-analysis of available studies on DCI. It is imperative to generalize knowledge in not only divers and diving-related practitioners but general practitioners as well.