@article{ref1,
title="The role of hypothermia and drowning in commercial fishing deaths in Alaska, 1990-2002",
journal="International journal of circumpolar health",
year="2004",
author="Hudson, Diana Stark and Conway, G.",
volume="63",
number="Suppl 2",
pages="357-360",
abstract="OBJECTIVES: To describe the patterns associated with cold-water immersion and drowning in commercial fishermen in Alaska from 1990 through 2002. STUDY DESIGN: This is a retrospective study using data from the Alaska Occupational Surveillance System (AOISS), a database with records from all occupational mortalities occurring in Alaska from 1990 on. METHODS: We extracted and analyzed all records describing deaths from drowning or hypothermia to commercial fishermen in Alaska from 1990 through 2002 that were registered within AOISS. We also used a subset of records from AOISS to compare use of Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) between the target population and survivors of fatal events. RESULTS: There were 228 deaths resulting from cold-water immersion and subsequent drowning in the target population for the time period studied. Victims were far less likely to have used PFDs than were survivors of events where cold-water drowning occurred. CONCLUSION: The strong protective association seen with the use of PFDs, particularly immersion suits, in surviving cold-water events indicates that many of the events that led to deaths in the target population could well have been survivable.",
language="",
issn="1239-9736",
doi="",
url="http://dx.doi.org/"
}