Citation

Wagner C. Air Med. J. 2005; 24(1): 10-11.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.amj.2004.10.007

PMID

15643388

Abstract

As winter arrives in many areas of the country, it brings new challenges for transport teams involved in the care of children. Seasonal activities, like sledding, will expose children to potential injury. This presents an opportunity for transport teams to become involved in educational safety programs aimed at minimizing or preventing many of these injuries. This article discusses patterns and mechanisms of injuries most often seen during sledding activities and outlines specific interventions to increase safety. The lack of effective steering and restraint are only two of many contributing factors to pediatric sledding injuries. Disproportionate head size in smaller children, lack of muscle strength and reflexes, a disparity in the size of children participating, and a disparity in age (and subsequent judgment) also contribute to an increased risk of injury. Head injuries are common in sledding accidents and carry the highest incidence of morbidity. Children younger than 6 years old injured while sledding have three times the number of head injuries compared with children older than 12.  Understanding which children are at risk, sledding injury patterns, environmental factors, and effective injury prevention strategies will allow transport teams to develop individualized safety programs most appropriate for their service area.