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Epidemiology of severe paediatric trauma following winter sport accidents
Emilien Maisonneuve1, Nadia Roumeliotis2, Amélie Basso1
1Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, CHU Grenoble-Alpes, La Tronche, France.
Insights
Severe winter sports injuries in children are common, particularly from skiing and sledding. Sledding accidents involve younger children and may be reduced with helmet use.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric trauma
- Winter sports epidemiology
- Injury prevention
Background:
- Winter sports like skiing, snowboarding, and sledding are popular recreational activities for children.
- Severe injuries can occur, necessitating intensive care admission and highlighting the need for epidemiological data and preventive strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the epidemiology of severe injuries sustained by children in winter sports.
- To assess potential preventive actions for these injuries.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective study was conducted at a Pediatric or Adult Intensive Care Unit in the French Alps.
- Data were collected from 2011 to 2018 for all patients under 15 years old admitted after a skiing, snowboarding, or sledding accident.
Main Results:
- 186 children were included, with the majority (73%) involved in skiing accidents.
- Head and intra-abdominal injuries were most common. Sledding accidents involved younger children (mean age 7) and had lower helmet usage (89% vs 8%).
- Injury Severity Scores (ISS) varied significantly between sports, with sledding and skiing showing higher average ISS compared to snowboarding.
Conclusions:
- Winter sports pose a significant risk of severe trauma in pediatric populations.
- Sledding accidents disproportionately affect younger children and suggest a potential benefit from mandatory helmet use and other protective gear.
Aim:
This study describes the epidemiology of severe injuries related to winter sports (skiing, snowboarding and sledding) in children and assesses potential preventive actions.
Methods:
A single-centre retrospective study performed at Pediatric or Adult Intensive Care Unit in the French Alps. All patients less than 15 years old, admitted to the Intensive Care Unit following a skiing, snowboarding or sledding accident from 2011 to 2018, were included.
Results:
We included 186 patients (mean age 10.6 years and 68% were male); of which 136 (73%), 21 (11%) and 29 (16%) had skiing, snowboarding and sledding accidents, respectively. The average ISS (injury severity score) was 16. The major lesions were head (n = 94 patients, 51%) and intra-abdominal (n = 56 patients, 30%) injuries. Compared to skiing/snowboarding, sledding accidents affected younger children (7 vs 11 years, P < .001); most of whom did not wear a helmet (89% vs 8%, P < .001). Severity scores were statistically different amongst winter sports (ISS = 16 (IQR 9-24) for skiing, 9 (IQR 4-16) for snowboarding and 16 (IQR 13-20) for sledding accident, P = .02).
Conclusion:
Winter sports can cause severe trauma in children. Sledding accidents affect younger children that may benefit from wearing protective equipment.
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