[Injuries due to parachute jumping].
BACKGROUND
Parachuting is performed for sportive and occupational purposes and demands a high level of controlled physical performance. In conjunction with the growing interest in parachuting, injury rates in the emergency departments are also increasing. We thus aimed to evaluate the mechanism and characteristics of injuries due to parachuting.


METHODS
Parameters of the patients injured and presenting to the emergency department, including mean age, body area exposed to injury, definite diagnosis, applied treatment modalities, and admission to/discharge from the hospital, were all recorded in a previously prepared form and analyzed. Degree of injury was detected by calculating the Injury Severity Score (ISS) using the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS).


RESULTS
Mean ISS of the patients was 8.15+/-4.29. The most commonly affected body sites were the extremities. Of the extremity injuries, 13 (81%) involved lower extremities and 3 (19%) involved upper extremities. The most commonly affected site in the lower extremities was the ankle (47%). Head injuries followed extremity injuries as the second most affected site.


CONCLUSIONS
Injuries from parachute jumping mostly occur during landing due to loss of balance. Loss of balance was seen to result from change in wind direction and personal factors. When jumpers acquire adequate knowledge about phases of parachute jumping and landing, probability of injury will decrease.
Sözüer
Erdoğan Mütevelli
EM
Department Of General Surgery, Erciyes University Medical School, Kayseri, Turkey. esozuer@erciyes.edu.tr
Ozkan
Seda
S
Akdur
Okhan
O
Durukan
Polat
P
Ikizceli
Ibrahim
I
Avşaroğullari
Levent
L
D015998:Abbreviated Injury Scale; D001359:Aviation; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005121:Extremities / Q000293:injuries; D006801:Humans; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology