DAN Medical Research
Current Studies

Current Studies Completed Studies News & Events

DAN collects information from around the world and conducts studies in the field and laboratory* to provide scientific data to answer relevant diving safety questions, investigate causes and incidences of injuries and fatalities in diving, and improve the therapy of dive injuries.

Non-Laboratory Studies

• Project Dive Exploration
  PDE is an observational research study that collects and analyzes dive profile data on real dives, and compiles data on behavioral and health aspects associated with recreational diving. The study analyzes the dive profiles as recorded by a depth/time recorder for each dive. The diver’s health status is also verified 48 hours after exiting the water.

• Oxygen Use Survey Card
  DAN Research is studying the effectiveness of the oxygen as first aid for diving emergencies. Unfortunately, DAN often doesn’t know when oxygen first aid is used in the field. If you haven’t received a copy of the Oxygen Use Survey Card, but would like to have a copy on hand to submit to DAN, you may download it here (PDF: 53 KB).

• Research Internship Program
  The DAN Research Internship Program is designed to provide education and experiences that may motivate young people towards careers in diving-related fields and / or scientific endeavors while expanding DAN’s research efforts in the field and laboratory.

• Injury Database
  DAN's Research and Medical departments collect data on dive injuries of recreational divers who were treated in recompression chambers. This data is provided by recompression chambers in the United States, Canada and diving destinations frequented by US and Canadian divers. DAN compiles case reports, and includes data from these reports in DAN's annual Report on Decompression Illness, Diving Fatalities and Project Dive Exploration.

• Fatality Database
  DAN collects data on diving fatalities of recreational divers in the United States, Canada and diving destinations frequented by U.S. and Canadian divers. DAN compiles case reports, and includes data from these reports in DAN’s annual Report on Decompression Illness, Diving Fatalities and Project Dive Exploration.

Laboratory Studies^*

• Flying After Diving (FAD) Calibration Study
  The FAD Calibration study is designed to determine the effects of exercise and immersion during dives on subsequent flight safety. This is the third phase of our FAD research with an 8000 ft (2,438 m) flight altitude underway since 1993.

• NASA Extravehicular Activity Study
  The research team at the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Environmental Physiology at Duke University Medical Center are conducting a project with NASA.

* Laboratory studies take place at the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Environmental Physiology of Duke University Medical Center, which acts as DAN's experimental diving unit.

Completed Studies