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Pediatric trauma caused by personal watercraft: a ten-year retrospective
Lee Eric Rubin1, Philip Brett Stein, Carla DiScala
1Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
Insights
Personal watercraft (PWC) injuries are a serious risk for children, often resulting in severe trauma, disability, and even death. Safety measures like age restrictions and training are crucial for preventing these devastating accidents.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Trauma
- Public Health
- Accident Prevention
Background:
- Young adults face significant risks from powered personal watercraft (PWC) injuries.
- This study focuses on the nature and severity of PWC injuries in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze PWC-related injuries in the pediatric population over a decade.
- To understand the mechanisms, outcomes, and demographic factors of these injuries.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 66 pediatric patients (ages 5-19) hospitalized for PWC injuries from 1990-1999.
- Data extracted from the National Pediatric Trauma Registry using keywords 'PWC' and 'Jet Ski'.
- Descriptive statistical analysis of injury data.
Main Results:
- Collisions were the most common injury cause (70%).
- Head, face, and neck injuries were prevalent (55.1%), with operators most affected (72.7%).
- High rates of surgery (83.3%), ICU admission (42.2%), death (6.1%), and long-term disability (42.4%) were observed.
Conclusions:
- PWC operation poses severe risks, including death and disability, to children.
- Recommendations include age regulations, operator training, improved design, and mandatory helmet use.
- Urgent safety interventions are needed to protect pediatric PWC users.
Background/Purpose:
Evidence indicates that young adults are at significant risk for powered personal watercraft (PWC)-related injuries. This article examines the nature of PWC injuries sustained in the pediatric population over a 10-year period.
Methods:
Retrospective analysis was conducted of trauma registry charts on 66 pediatric patients, aged 5 to 19 years, hospitalized for PWC-related injuries between 1990 and 1999. The keywords PWC and Jet Ski were used to extract anonymous data from the National Pediatric Trauma Registry, which then were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Results:
The most common mechanism of injury was a collision with another PWC, a boat, or a fixed object (70%). A total of 55.1% of all the injury diagnoses involved the head, face, and/or neck, and 72.7% of the injuries occurred to the operator of the PWC. A total of 83.3% of the patients required at least 1 surgical procedure, and 42.2% required admission to the intensive care unit. Four children (6.1%) died, and 28 (42.4%) of the children had disabilities as a consequence of the injury.
Conclusions:
Operation of PWCs can result in severe injures, death, and long-term disability in the pediatric population. Possible safety recommendations include minimum age regulations, operator training, operating regulations, design improvements, and required helmet use.
