Terrain park injuries.
BACKGROUND
This study examined demographics, injury pattern, and hospital outcome in patients injured in winter resort terrain parks.


METHODS
The study included patients >/=12 years of age who presented to a regional trauma center with an acute injury sustained at a winter resort. Emergency department (ED) research assistants collected patient injury and helmet use information using a prospectively designed questionnaire. ED and hospital data were obtained from trauma registry and hospital records.


RESULTS
Seventy-two patients were injured in a terrain park, and 263 patients were injured on non-terrain park slopes. Patients injured in terrain parks were more likely to be male [68/72 (94%) vs. 176/263 (67%), p<0.0001], younger in age [23 +/- 7 vs. 36 +/- 17, p<0.0001], live locally [47/72 (65%) vs. 124/263 (47%), p=0.006], use a snowboard [50/72 (69%) vs. 91/263 (35%), p<0.0001], hold a season pass [46/66 (70%) vs. 98/253 (39%), p<0.0001], and sustain an upper extremity injury [29/72 (40%) vs. 52/263 (20%), p<0.001] when compared to patients injured on non-terrain park slopes. There were no differences between the groups in terms of EMS transport to hospital, helmet use, admission rate, hospital length of stay, and patients requiring specialty consultation in the ED.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients injured in terrain parks represent a unique demographic within winter resort patrons. Injury severity appears to be similar to those patients injured on non-terrain park slopes.
Moffat
Craig
C
University of Utah, Division of Emergency Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT.
McIntosh
Scott
S
Bringhurst
Jade
J
Danenhauer
Karen
K
Gilmore
Nathan
N
Hopkins
Christy L
CL