Pediatric trauma caused by personal watercraft: a ten-year retrospective☆
Section snippets
Materials and methods
The NPTR is a database that contains information about many aspects of pediatric trauma, its causes, and its consequences. Anonymous data are voluntarily contributed to the NPTR by pediatric trauma centers or by children’s hospitals with pediatric trauma units from a variety of geographic regions across the United States.
The NPTR collects data on children and adolescents 19 years of age and younger who are admitted to the hospital for an acute injury, including patients who are dead on arrival
Results
The 66 children in the study represented 0.1% of the children injured from all causes and 1.2% of the children injured in sport-related activity reported to the NPTR in 1990 through 1999 who were 5 to 19 years of age. Of the 66 children who sustained PWC injuries, 40 (60.6%) were boys, and 26 (39.4%) were girls. The mean age was 12.3 years, the median 13.0 years. Fifty-five children (83.3%) were 10 to 19 years of age, and 40 (60.6%) were between 10 and 14 years of age.
Forty-eight (72.7%)
Discussion
PWC industry statistics indicate that 1.05 million PWCs were in circulation in 2001.9 Data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS)4 estimate that nearly 12,000 people were treated in hospital emergency departments during 1995 for PWC related injuries, a 4-fold increase from 1990. Also, Hamman et al3 reported a 4-fold increase in PWC injuries between 1990 and 1997.
According to the NEISS data from 1995, children 14 years and younger sustained 7% of all PWC injuries, and
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Saravathy Reddy MPH, MS for her initial direction and statistical support and the “Selectives Program” at the Office of Educational Affairs, Tufts University School of Medicine, for approving this student research project.
References (27)
- et al.
Injuries from motorized personal watercraft
J Pediat Surg
(1993) - et al.
Diffuse axonal injury without direct head trauma and with delayed onset of coma
Pediatr Neur
(1998) - et al.
Primary adrenal insufficiency following traumatic brain injuryA case report and review of the literature
Arch Phys Med Rehab
(1997) Epidemiology of personal watercraft-related injury on Arkansas waterways, 1994–1997
Accident Analysis and Prevention
(2000)- et al.
Helmets for preventing head and facial injuries in bicyclistsThe Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
Cochrane Injuries Group, Issue
(2002) Boating 2001-Facts and Figures at a Glance
National Marine Manufacturers Association
(2003)- et al.
Personal watercraft injuries
JAMA
(1989) - et al.
Personal watercraft-related injuriesA growing public health concern
JAMA
(1997) National Transportation Safety BoardSafety Study Personal Watercraft
Notation 7002
(2003)Statistics
Coalition of Parents and Families for Personal Watercraft Safety
(2003)
National pediatric registry
J Pediatr Surg
The injury severity scoreAn update
J Trauma
Personal Watercraft Background
Personal Watercraft Industry Association
Cited by (18)
Rectal injury associated with personal watercraft use
2018, Journal of Pediatric Surgery Case ReportsCitation Excerpt :Her ostomy was closed two weeks later and has maintained normal rectal continence. PWC-related injuries are believed to outnumber injuries related to powerboats 8 to 1 [3–5]. The most common injuries associated with PWC are caused by collisions with bridges, docks or other watercraft [6].
Watercraft and watersport injuries in children: Trauma mechanisms and proposed prevention strategies
2013, Journal of Pediatric SurgeryPediatric genitourinary injuries in the United States from 2002 to 2010
2013, Journal of UrologyHydrostatic rectosigmoid perforation: A rare personal watercraft injury
2011, Journal of Pediatric SurgeryCitation Excerpt :The most common mechanism of injury comprising approximately 70% of pediatric injuries occurs from blunt trauma. This is related to collision with another vessel or stationary objects [9]. Personal watercraft–associated rectal injuries are exceedingly rare, with 6 reported cases described in the literature [2-7].
Literature review on hydrostatic vaginal and anorectal injuries caused by personal watercraft
2021, Trauma (United Kingdom)Craniofacial Injuries from Personal Watercraft Accidents
2021, Journal of Craniofacial Surgery
- ☆
Supported in part by grant H133B950006 from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, Washington, DC and by funding from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services Administration, Rockville, MD.