Injury trends aboard US Navy vessels: A 50-year analysis of mishaps at sea

Abstract

BACKGROUND Maritime activities have been associated with unique dangers to civilian and military sailors. We performed a retrospective cohort study analyzing injury mechanisms and clinical outcomes of casualties onboard US naval ships to determine common injury mechanisms, trends, and outcomes. We hypothesized there would be a downward trend of injuries and fatalities on US naval ships during the study period. METHODS All mishaps recorded by the Naval Safety Command aboard active service US naval ships from 1970 through 2020 were reviewed. Only mishaps resulting in injury or fatality were included. Over time, injury mechanisms and casualty incidence rates were trended and compared based on medical capabilities. Ships without surgical capabilities were categorized as Role 1, and those with surgical capabilities as Role 2. RESULTS There were a total of 3,127 casualties identified and analyzed, with 1,048 fatalities and 2,079 injuries. The injury mechanisms associated with the highest mortality included electrocution, blunt head trauma, fall from height, man overboard, and explosion. There was a decrease in the trend of mishaps resulting in casualties, fatalities, and injuries over the 50-year study period. The mortality rate for select severe injury mechanisms was higher on Role 1 capable platforms, compared with Role 2 (0.334 vs. 0.250, p < 0.05). CONCLUSION Casualty incidences decreased over 50 years. However, mortality still remains high for certain mechanisms no matter the operational platform. Furthermore, Role 1 capable vessels have a higher overall mortality rate for severe injuries compared with Role 2. The authors propose training, process improvement, and technology-related solutions to improve outcomes on Role 1 capable naval vessels. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Prognostic and Epidemiological; Level IV.