Study finds ATV-related head and neck injuries among youth continue to remain high

This summer time, youngsters and teenagers can be spending extra time outdoors. For some, this can embrace driving all-terrain autos (ATVs). Unfortunately, this exercise comes with important dangers. A brand new research carried out by researchers on the Center for Injury Research and Policy and the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Nationwide Children’s Hospital analyzed knowledge concerning ATV-related head and neck injuries handled in U.S. emergency departments from 1990 by means of 2014 involving sufferers youthful than 18 years of age.

The research, revealed in Clinical Pediatrics, discovered a mean of greater than 11,000 youngsters and teenagers handled for nonfatal ATV-related head and neck injuries yearly in emergency departments—that is roughly 31 youngsters and teenagers injured every day. The variety of these injuries goes up throughout the hotter months of April by means of September, once they common 68 per day on the weekends. The variety of injuries fluctuated over the course of the research, going up after the Consent Decree settlement between the ATV producers and the federal government, which included quite a few security measures, led to 1998. Injuries peaked in 2007.

“Although the number of nonfatal ATV-related head and neck injuries decreased during the latter part of the study period, they remain too frequent and can have long-term consequences,” stated Kris Jatana, MD, co-author of the research and pediatric otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon at Nationwide Children’s. “Most of these serious injuries can be prevented.”

Being thrown off of an ATV was the commonest mechanism of injury (30%), adopted by crash (19%) and rollover (16%). Overall, damaged bones and concussions/closed head injuries every accounted for roughly one-third of the injuries, however these proportions diversified by age group. More than 15% of injured youth had been admitted to a hospital. Riding on a roadway was particularly harmful. Children and teenagers who had been injured on a road or freeway had been about 1.5 instances extra possible to be admitted to a hospital for his or her damage than these injured at different places.

Children youthful than 12 years of age accounted for nearly half (46%) of injured youth within the research regardless of the advice by the American Academy of Pediatrics that youngsters needs to be at the least 16 years of age—sufficiently old to drive a automobile—earlier than they function an ATV. Children youthful than 12 years had been extra possible than teenagers to maintain broken bones and be injured when thrown off of an ATV, whereas teenagers had been extra possible than younger children to be recognized with concussions/closed head injuries and to be injured by an ATV rollover.

“ATVs are powerful machines designed strictly for off-road use that require mature judgement, coordination, strength, and moment-to-moment decision making. Adoption of the safety recommendations outlined by the American Academy of Pediatrics would go a long way in preventing many pediatric ATV-related head and neck injuries,” stated Gary Smith, MD, DrPH, senior writer of the research and director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s. “These recommendations include requiring children to be at least 16 years old before they operate an ATV, wearing a helmet designed for motorcycle use every time they ride, prohibiting passengers, and not riding on roadways.”

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