title: Serious winter sport injuries in children and adolescents requiring hospitalization.
abstract: To describe the epidemiology of serious winter sports-related injuries resulting in hospitalization in children and adolescents, we prospectively collected and analyzed records of all winter sports-related injuries requiring hospitalization at our respective institutions from 1996 to 2000. We identified 101 patients with a mean age of 10.7 years, of whom 68% were male and 32% female. Skiers accounted for 71% and snowboarders 26% of injuries; 3% of injuries were snowmobile-or luge-related. Leading mechanisms of injury were ground level falls (50%), crashes into trees, (18%), and falls from ski lift (13%). Approximately 26% of the patients met criteria for trauma-team activation. Leading diagnoses were head injury (20%), femur fracture (18%), and concussion (11%). Five patients required admission to the intensive care unit. The median injury severity score (ISS) was 7; 8% of patients had an ISS score > 15. Abbreviated Injury Scale-1990 scores of > or = 3 were noted in 34% of the patients. We conclude that Injuries sustained through participation in winter sports may be severe, especially in the case of injuries involving the head. Injury-prevention strategies should focus on head injuries.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah School of Medicine, and the Intermountain Injury Control Research Center Salt Lake City, Utah 84113, USA.
authors.forename: Elisabeth Guenther
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Skokan
authors.forename: Edward P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Junkins
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kadish
mesh_terms: D015998:Abbreviated Injury Scale; D000293:Adolescent; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D007869:Leg Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D012865:Skiing / Q000293:injuries*; D038161:Snow Sports / Q000293:injuries