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Medical encounters, cardiac arrests and deaths during a 109 km community-based mass-participation cycling event: a
Jannelene Killops1, Martin Schwellnus2,3, Dina Christina Janse van Rensburg1
1Sport, Exercise Medicine and Lifestyle Institute (SEMLI) and Section Sports Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
Insights
Medical encounters occurred in about 1 in 200 cyclists during a 109km mass-participation cycling event. Injuries were more common than illnesses, with serious events rare, informing race organizers about medical service needs.
Area of Science:
- Sports Medicine
- Public Health
- Emergency Medicine
Background:
- Limited data exist on medical encounters during mass-participation cycling events.
- Understanding these events is crucial for public health and safety planning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the incidence and nature of medical encounters during a large-scale community cycling event.
- To provide data for medical service planning for similar mass-participation events.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study analyzed data from three annual Cape Town Cycle Tours (2012-2014).
- Over 100,000 participants were included, with medical encounters categorized by severity and type (illness/injury).
- International consensus definitions were used to classify encounters.
Main Results:
- A total of 539 medical encounters were recorded, with an incidence rate of 5.3 per 1000 starters.
- Injuries (3.2/1000) were more frequent than illnesses (2.1/1000).
- Serious life-threatening events occurred at a rate of 0.5/1000, including 3 cardiac arrests and 1 death over 3 years.
Conclusions:
- Medical encounters affected approximately 1 in 200 cyclists during this 109km event.
- Injury rates were higher than illness rates, with serious events being infrequent.
- These findings aid race organizers in anticipating and planning required medical services.
Background:
There are few data on medical encounters, including deaths during mass-participation cycling events.
Objective:
To determine the incidence and nature of medical encounters during a community-based mass-participation cycling event.
Design:
Cross-sectional study across three annual events.
Setting:
2012-2014 Cape Town Cycle Tour (109 km), South Africa.
Participants:
102 251 race starters (male=80 354, female=21 897).
Methods:
Medical encounters (moderate, serious life-threatening, sudden cardiac arrest/death), using the 2019 international consensus definitions, were recorded on race day for 3 years as incidence rates (IR per 1000 starters; 95% CI). Overall illness-related (by organ system) or injury-related (by anatomical region) encounters, and severity were recorded.
Results:
We recorded 539 medical encounters (IR 5.3; 4.8 to 5.7). The IR was 3.2 for injuries (2.9 to 3.6), 2.1 for illnesses (1.0 to 2.4) and 0.5 for serious life-threatening medical encounters (0.4 to 0.7). In the 3-year study, we encountered three cardiac arrests and one death (2.9 and 1.0 per 100 000 starters, respectively). Injury IRs included upper limb (1.9; 1.6 to 2.1), lower limb (1.0; 0.8 to 1.0) and head/neck (0.8; 0.6 to 1.0). Illness IRs included fluid/electrolyte abnormalities (0.6; 0.5 to 0.8) and the cardiovascular system (0.5; 0.4 to 0.6).
Conclusion:
In a 109 km community-based mass-participation cycling event, medical encounters (moderate to severe) occurred in about 1 in 200 cyclists. Injury-related (1/300 cyclists) encounters were higher than illness-related medical encounters (1 in about 500). Serious life-threatening medical encounters occurred in 1/2000 cyclists. These data allow race organisers to anticipate the medical services required and the approximate extent of demand.
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