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Objective: To review cases of children with ski (SK) and snowboard (SB) injuries to evaluate if injury patterns differ between the two winter sport disciplines.
Design: Retrospective review of trauma registry
Setting: Level 1 Adult/Level 2 Pediatric trauma center
Patients: All patients ages 0-18 years involved in ski or snowboard accidents between January 2005-January 2016.
Interventions: none
Main Outcome Measures: Review type of injury identified, use of protective gear, and outcomes at discharge
Results: 305 patients injured at 38 different ski areas were identified for review. 195 were SK and 116 were SB. 58% live out of the New Hampshire/Vermont area. SB were older than SK (14.5 vs. 12.7 years, p<0.001). SK were more likely to use helmets (43% SB vs. 57% SK, p=0.02), yet there was no difference in head injuries (39% vs. 46%, 0.28). Mean ISS, length of stay, and GCS were no different between the two groups. SB were more likely to have abdominal injuries (25% vs. 10%, p<0.001), specifically splenic (17% vs. 5%, p<0.001) and renal (9% vs. 1%, p<0.001) lacerations, whereas SK were more likely to have extremity injuries, specifically lower extremity fractures (37% vs. 9%, p<0.001). When adjusting for age, gender, helmet use and out of state origin, splenic injuries were the sole factor that was predominant in SB.
Conclusions: Children with snowboarding injuries were more likely to be at risk for abdominal solid organ injuries and may benefit from abdominal protective gear, while skiers were more likely to sustain lower extremity injuries. Injured children were often treated in a state where they were not local residents and this may contribute to additional burden on patients and their families.