Mariano Garay1, Joseph Hess2, Douglas Armstrong3, William Hennrikus4. 1. College of Medicine, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania. 2. Division of Pediatric Surgery, Penn State Children's Hospital, Hershey, Pennsylvania; and. 3. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania. 4. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania whennrikus@pennstatehealth.psu.edu.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To establish the incidence, mortality rate, and fracture location of pediatric patients injured while using an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) over an 11-year period. METHODS: A retrospective study using a state trauma database for patients ages 0 to 17 years who sustained injuries while using an ATV. Thirty-two pediatric and adult trauma centers within the state were evaluated from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2014. RESULTS: The inclusion criteria were met by 1912 patients. The estimated mean annual incidence during the period of the study was 6.2 patients per 100 000 children in the pediatric population <18 years of age. There was a decrease of 13.4% in the mean incidence when comparing the first 5 years of the study with the last 6 years. The median age of patients was 14 years. The median hospital length of stay and injury severity score were 3 days and 9, respectively. There were 28 fatalities (1.5%). The mean mortality incidence was 0.09 deaths per 100 000 children and remained relatively constant. The majority of patients (55.4%) sustained at least 1 bone fracture at or below the cervical spine. The femur and tibia were more commonly fractured (21.6% and 17.7% of the patients, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Despite current guidelines by the American Academy of Pediatrics, patients younger than 16 years of age remain victims of ATV injuries. Although there was a 13.4% reduction in the incidence of ATV-related injuries in recent years, continued preventive guidelines are still necessary to avert these injuries in children and adolescents.
OBJECTIVES: To establish the incidence, mortality rate, and fracture location of pediatric patients injured while using an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) over an 11-year period. METHODS: A retrospective study using a state trauma database for patients ages 0 to 17 years who sustained injuries while using an ATV. Thirty-two pediatric and adult trauma centers within the state were evaluated from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2014. RESULTS: The inclusion criteria were met by 1912 patients. The estimated mean annual incidence during the period of the study was 6.2 patients per 100 000 children in the pediatric population <18 years of age. There was a decrease of 13.4% in the mean incidence when comparing the first 5 years of the study with the last 6 years. The median age of patients was 14 years. The median hospital length of stay and injury severity score were 3 days and 9, respectively. There were 28 fatalities (1.5%). The mean mortality incidence was 0.09 deaths per 100 000 children and remained relatively constant. The majority of patients (55.4%) sustained at least 1 bone fracture at or below the cervical spine. The femur and tibia were more commonly fractured (21.6% and 17.7% of the patients, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Despite current guidelines by the American Academy of Pediatrics, patients younger than 16 years of age remain victims of ATV injuries. Although there was a 13.4% reduction in the incidence of ATV-related injuries in recent years, continued preventive guidelines are still necessary to avert these injuries in children and adolescents.
Authors: R Constance Wiener; Christopher Waters; Matthew Harper; Alcinda K Trickett Shockey; Ruchi Bhandari Journal: J Emerg Med Date: 2022-05-11 Impact factor: 1.473