SERIOUS SPORTS INJURIES REQUIRING HOSPITALIZATION SEEN IN A PEDIATRICEMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

Objective.-To define the spectrum of serious sports injuries requiring hospitalization seen in a pediatric emergency department. Design.-Tra uma registry and retrospective chart reviews. Setting.-Emergency depar tment, Children's Hospital, Boston, Mass. Study Participants.-One hund red forty-two patients with sports injuries presenting to the emergenc y department and requiring hospitalization over 2 years. Measurements/ Results.-Serious sports injuries accounted for 13% of admissions for t rauma, 0.6% of visits to the emergency department for trauma, and appr oximately 0.14% of total encounters. Injuries included fractures (77%) , abdominal injuries (7%), multiple trauma (5%), cerebral contusions o r hemorrhages (4%), and dislocations (3%). The most frequently injured areas were the extremities (69%), head and neck (16%), and abdomen (3 %). Compared with nonsports injuries requiring hospitalization, sports injuries occurred in older patients (11.5 vs 7.3 years, P<.001) and m ore often in males (83% vs 64%, P<.001). Sports injuries also resulted in higher Injury Severity Scores (10 vs 8.8, P=.021) and in more frac tures (77% vs 51%, P<.001) and neck injuries (4% vs 1%, P=.002). Concl usion.-Serious sports injuries evaluated in the emergency department a ffect predominantly male teenagers and result predominantly in fractur es involving the extremities. The spectrum of injuries is dissimilar t o that resulting from other mechanisms.