Breath-holding ability of offshore workers inadequate to ensure escape from ditched helicopters

Background Following a helicopter ditching in water, the survival rate of individuals not mortally injured by the impact ranges from 50-85%. One possible cause for this low survival rate is that the crew and passengers cannot hold their breath underwater long enough to make the often difficult escape from an inverted and submerged helicopter. Methods: We investigated pulmonary function, breath-holding times in air (BHTa) and water (BHTw) of 228 students enrolled in offshore survival courses required to work in either the offshore petroleum industry or in military marine aviation. Comparisons were performed based on occupation, SCUBA experience, and smoking. Results: In 25 degreesC pool water, the overall BHT. ranged from 5.4 to 120 s with a median of 37 s. Of the 228 subjects, 34% had a BHTw less than the 28 s required for the complete evacuation of a Super Puma helicopter under ideal conditions. No significant differences in BHTw were observed based on either smoking history (Non-Smoker, 41.5 +/- 21.6 s; Smoker, 37.2 +/- 20.2 s) or occupation (Novice, 37.5 +/- 21.1 s; Offshore, 40.5 +/- 21.1 s; Military, 45.2 +/- 20.9 s). However, SCUBA-trained individuals had a significantly longer BHTw (47.4 +/- 21.6 s) than non-SCUBA (37.6 +/- 20.6 s), as well as a greater force vital capacity (FVC), BHTa, and subjective comfort in water. Conclusions: It is concluded that the inability to breath-hold in emergency situations is a major contributor to the low survival rates of marine helicopter ditchings. Therefore, efforts must be made to both decrease escape times and to increase survival time underwater.