No evidence that parachutes help prevent injuries when jumping out of planes

1. Gordon C S Smith (gcss2{at}cam.ac.uk), professor1,
2. Jill P Pell, consultant2

1. ¹Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Cambridge University, Cambridge CB2 2QQ,
2. ²Department of Public Health, Greater Glasgow NHS Board, Glasgow G3 8YU

1. 1Correspondence to: G C S Smith

Abstract

Objectives To determine whether parachutes are effective in preventing major trauma related to gravitational challenge.

Design Systematic review of randomised controlled trials.

Data sources: Medline, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library databases; appropriate internet sites and citation lists.

Study selection: Studies showing the effects of using a parachute during free fall.

Main outcome measure Death or major trauma, defined as an injury severity score > 15.

Results We were unable to identify any randomised controlled trials of parachute intervention.

Conclusions As with many interventions intended to prevent ill health, the effectiveness of parachutes has not been subjected to rigorous evaluation by using randomised controlled trials. Advocates of evidence based medicine have criticised the adoption of interventions evaluated by using only observational data. We think that everyone might benefit if the most radical protagonists of evidence based medicine organised and participated in a double blind, randomised, placebo controlled, crossover trial of the parachute.

Footnotes

• Contributors GCSS had the original idea. JPP tried to talk him out of it. JPP did the first literature search but GCSS lost it. GCSS drafted the manuscript but JPP deleted all the best jokes. GCSS is the guarantor, and JPP says it serves him right.

• Funding None.

• Competing interests None declared.

• Ethical approval Not required

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