title: The epidemiology of severe and catastrophic injuries in BASE jumping.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report the demographic characteristics, injury rate, severity, and morbidity in BASE jumping.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  BASE jumping group meetings from 2006 to 2010.
  
  
  METHODS
  Heterogenic group of 102 International BASE jumpers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Injuries reported as function of jumps made, jumping days, age, experience, and sex.
  
  
  METHODS
  Incidence, severity, and type of injuries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Responses from 68 subjects were available for analysis. The median number of jumps was estimated at 286 per respondent. The median time respondents had participated in BASE jumping was 5.8 years. There were 39 reported severe injuries sustained by 29 different jumpers. Nineteen thousand four hundred ninety-seven jumps were reported, resulting in 2 severe injuries per 1000 jumps (0.2% severe injury rate) or 2.6 severe injuries per 1000 jumping days. Forty-nine respondents (72%) had witnessed the death or serious injury of other participants in the sport. Twenty-four accidents (61%) involved the lower limbs, 8 (20%) the back/spine, 7 (18%) the chest wall, and 5 (13%) were a head injury. The mean Abbreviated Injury Score was 3.2 (range, 2-5). Fifteen (52%) of the 29 injured jumpers required 20 acute surgical interventions, which were mostly orthopedic related. There was a significant correlation between number of jumps made and injuries sustained (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BASE jumpers have an average of 1 severe injury for every 500 jumps. Most active BASE jumpers have witnessed death or severe injury of a participant and have experienced a "close call" incident.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics Division of Sports Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado 80045, USA. omer@extremegate.com
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mei-Dan
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Carmont
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Monasterio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001359:Aviation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019567:Back Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000293:injuries; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult