Table 1.
Paediatric ED visits for snow-sports-related head injuries, 1996–1997 to 2009–2010 seasons
| Children (aged 4-12 years) |
Adolescents (aged 13-17 years) |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBI |
Other head injuries |
TBI |
Other head injury |
|||||
| N | % | N | % | N | % | N | % | |
| Sex | ||||||||
| Male | 13 766 | 76 | 6855 | 83 | 30 411 | 72 | 6396 | 67 |
| Female | 4462 | 24 | 1440 | 17 | 11 987 | 28 | 3221 | 33 |
| Diagnosis | ||||||||
| Concussion | 11 287 | 62 | – | – | 28 077 | 66 | – | – |
| Other intracranial injury* | 6731 | 37 | – | – | 14 050 | 33 | – | – |
| Fracture | 209 | 1 | – | – | 272 | 1 | – | – |
| Haematoma/haemorrhage (scalp) | – | – | 206 | 2 | – | – | 162 | 2 |
| Scalp laceration | – | – | 4827 | 58 | – | – | 4241 | 44 |
| Scalp contusion/abrasion | – | – | 3192 | 38 | – | – | 4978 | 52 |
| Puncture | – | – | 0 | 0 | – | – | 112 | 0 |
| Avulsion | – | – | 69 | 1 | – | – | 0 | 0 |
| Missing | – | – | 0 | 0 | – | – | 125 | 1 |
| ED discharge disposition | ||||||||
| Released | 16 830 | 92 | 8214 | 99 | 38 209 | 90 | 9376 | 97 |
| Transferred | 427 | 2 | 80 | 1 | 1096 | 3 | 203 | 2 |
| Admitted or held for observation | 965 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3082 | 7 | 38 | 0 |
| Left without being seen | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Missing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Product/Sport | ||||||||
| Skis (alpine) | 10 051 | 55 | 3414 | 41 | 16 302 | 38 | 3640 | 38 |
| Snowboard | 8176 | 45 | 4881 | 59 | 26 097 | 62 | 5977 | 62 |
| Total | 18 227 | 69 | 8295 | 31 | 42 399 | 82 | 9618 | 18 |
Values are weighted and represent national estimates of snow-sports-related head injuries from 1996 to 2010 from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding.
*
Includes internal organ injury and intracranial haematoma or haemorrhage.
ED, emergency department; TBI, traumatic brain injury.