Sledding injuries

doi:10.1016/S0196-0644(80)80267-8

Annals of Emergency Medicine

Volume 9, Issue 3, March 1980, Pages 131-133

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0196-0644(80)80267-8 Get rights and content

Sixty-one sledding accidents presenting to two Philadelphia-area hospitals during a three-week period were reviewed. The majority of injuries were contusions and abrasions. Eight patients required hospitalization: four had abdominal injury. One patient with multiple trauma was pronounced dead on arrival. The physics of sledding and possible mechanisms of injury are discussed.

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Cited by (20)

Pediatric injury prevention: Sledding injuries
2005, Air Medical Journal
Childhood sledding injuries
1999, American Journal of Emergency Medicine
Sledding is only rarely thought of as a potentially dangerous childhood activity. However, serious injuries and occasional deaths do occur. A review of patients 18 years old and younger admitted to a pediatric trauma center following a sledding accident from 1991 to 1997 was conducted. By design this study was expected to identify the most seriously injured patients. Twenty-five patients were identified, all but four younger than 13. Seventeen were boys. The mechanisms of injury were: collision with stationary object, 15; sled-sled collision, 1; struck by sled, 2; going off jump, 3; foot caught under sled or on ground, 3; fall off sled being towed by snowmobile, 1. The average pediatric trauma score was 10.5, and the average injury severity score 10.6. There were no deaths. The injuries were: head, 11; long bone/extremity, all lower, 10; abdomen, 5; chest, 1; facial, 2; spinal, 1. Five patients sustained multiple injuries. A surprisingly high number, 5, had pre-existing neurological conditions that could have played a contributory role in the accident. Sledding is predominantly an activity of children, and occasional serious injuries occur. Most are preventable. Obeying the simple caveat that sledding should only be done in clear areas away from stationary objects would eliminate the great majority of serious injuries.
Tobogganing injuries in children
1995, Journal of Pediatric Surgery
Aim: To undertake a retrospective review of tobogganing-related injuries in children requiring admission to the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto. Materials and Methods: Twenty-two children with tobogganing-related injuries were admitted between December 1991 and December 1993. There were 13 boys and 9 girls (median age, 10 years; range, 3 to 17 years). Their charts were reviewed using a structured proforma. Results: Nine patients (41%) sustained injuries by striking a tree, 8 struck other objects, and 5 fell from the toboggan. Only 1 was wearing protective headgear. The initial site of impact was the head in 13 patients (59%), the trunk in 5, and the extremities in 4. Major injuries were sustained in all body systems. Thirteen patients (59%) required surgical treatment and two patients died, one of cerebral edema and the other of acute renal failure and subsequent multiorgan failure. Conclusion: Tobogganing-related injuries represent a small fraction of all injuries in children who require hospitalization. However, such injuries can be serious and can cause significant morbidity and mortality. Better public awareness of the risks of tobogganing is required and simple safety guidelines should be developed to reduce the risks of this popular winter pastime.
Emergency department visits for sledding injuries in children in the United States in 2001/2002
2006, Academic Emergency Medicine
To describe the characteristics of nonfatal sledding-related injuries in U.S. children resulting in emergency department (ED) visits in 2001/2002 and to explore the implications of these findings for injury prevention efforts.
A stratified probability sample of U.S. hospitals providing emergency services in the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System–All Injury Program was utilized for 2001/2002. ED visits resulting from injuries involving sleds, snow discs, snow tubes, and toboggans were analyzed for patients 19 years of age or younger.
In 2001/2002, there were an estimated 57,866 ED visits for sledding-related injuries in the United States for all age groups. Of these, 41,272 (71%) occurred in patients 19 years of age or younger, 58% of whom were male. The highest number of injuries occurred in children between five and 14 years of age (74%), and the injuries were most often caused by falls or collisions (75%). The head or neck was the most frequently injured body region among those 0–9 years of age, while the extremities were injured most commonly among those 10–19 years of age. Head and neck injuries occurred in 56% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 32% to 81%) of children 0–4 years of age versus 19% (95% CI = 9% to 29%) of patients 15–19 years of age. Nine percent (95% CI = 6% to 12%) of patients sustained a traumatic brain injury. Three percent (95% CI = 1% to 5%) of patients required admission to the hospital.
Sledding injuries resulting in ED visits predominantly affect children and are a source of measurable morbidity in this population. An increase in injury prevention efforts for this activity is warranted.
Performance analysis of winter activity protection headgear for young children: Laboratory investigation
2012, Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics
Sledding: How fast can they go?
2009, Journal of Trauma - Injury, Infection and Critical Care

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: Presented at the American College of Emergency Physicians Scientific Assembly in Houston, Texas, May 1978.

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Original contributionSledding injuries

J Urology

JACEP

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Sledding injuries