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Trampoline injuries in children: A prospective study
Adrien Runtz1, Jérémie Nallet1, Victor Font1
1Service de chirurgie pédiatrique, CHU Besançon, 25000 Besançon, France.
Insights
Trampoline injuries in children can be severe, with over 16% requiring general anesthesia. This study highlights the need for awareness and appropriate management of pediatric trampoline-related trauma.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Trauma Surgery
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Trampolining is a popular activity among children.
- A rise in trampoline injuries has been observed, leading to increased pediatric emergency department visits.
- The severity of these injuries requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the severity of trampoline injuries in children.
- To assess the epidemiology of pediatric trampoline injuries.
- To detail the treatments for these injuries.
Main Methods:
- Prospective evaluation of consecutive pediatric patients with surgical conditions over 10 months.
- 103 children (4 months to 16 years) with trampoline injuries were identified.
- Severe injuries were defined as those requiring general anesthesia.
Main Results:
- 16.5% of trampoline injuries were classified as severe, requiring general anesthesia.
- The upper limb was the most commonly affected area (70.6%).
- Supra-condylar humerus and distal radius fractures were predominant.
Conclusions:
- Trampoline injuries, while uncommon, can be severe, with a significant proportion needing surgical intervention.
- The incidence of severe injuries in this study was higher than in previous reports.
- Effective management strategies are crucial for pediatric trampoline-related trauma.
Background:
Trampolining is popular and widely practiced among children. A literature review has shown a rise in the incidence of trampoline injuries with a concomitant increase in paediatric emergency department visits. The primary objective of this study was to describe the severity of trampoline injuries in children. The secondary objectives were to assess the epidemiology of the study population and injuries and to describe the treatments.
Hypothesis:
We hypothesized that over 10% of trampoline injuries were severe.
Material And Methods:
We prospectively evaluated consecutive patients seen for surgical conditions at our paediatric emergency department over a 10-month period. Among them, 103 (1.2% of visits) aged 4 months to 16 years (mean, 8 years) had trampoline injuries. We classified trampoline injuries as severe if they required general anaesthesia.
Results:
Severe injuries accounted for 16.5% of all trampoline injuries. The upper limb was predominantly affected (70.6% of cases). Overall, 66.7% of fractures were at the upper limb and 76% of contusions at the lower limb. The predominant fracture sites were the supra-condylar humerus (15.3%) and distal radius (15.3%). Among patients with non-severe injuries, four-fifths left the emergency department with a temporary immobilisation system.
Discussion:
The proportion of severe injuries was slightly higher in our study than in earlier reports. Trampoline injuries remain uncommon but can be severe. Thus, in our study over one-sixth of patients required surgery under general anaesthesia.
Level Of Evidence:
IV, prospective descriptive epidemiological study.
