'Parachute use to prevent death and major trauma related
to gravitational challenge: systematic review of
randomized controlled trials '

Abstract
Objectives: To determine whether parachutes are
effective in preventing major trauma related to
gravitational challenge.
Design: Systematic review of randomized 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.