Citation

Zroback C, Levin D, Manlhiot C, Alexander A, van As AS, Azzie G. J. Pediatr. 2014; 164(2): 327-331.

Affiliation

Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of General Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jpeds.2013.10.009

PMID

24252783

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine how a mass-gathering event (the Federation Internationale de Football Association World Cup, 2010, South Africa) impacts trauma and mortality in the pediatric (≤18 years) population. STUDY DESIGN: We investigated pediatric emergency visits at Cape Town's 3 largest public trauma centers and 3 private hospital groups, as well as deaths investigated by the 3 city mortuaries. We compared the 31 days of World Cup with equivalent periods from 2007-2009, and with the 2 weeks before and after the event. We also looked at the World Cup period in isolation and compared days with and without games in Cape Town. RESULTS: There was significantly decreased pediatric trauma volume during the World Cup, approximately 2/100 000 (37%) fewer injuries per day, compared with 2009 and to both pre- and post-World Cup control periods (P < .001). This decrease occurred within a majority of injury subtypes, but did not change mortality. There were temporal fluctuations in emergency visits corresponding with local match start time, with fewer all-cause emergency visits during the 5 hours surrounding this time (-16.4%, P = .01), followed by a subsequent spike (+26.2%, P = .02). There was an increase in trauma 12 hours following matches (+15.6%, P = .06). CONCLUSIONS: In Cape Town, during the 2010 Federation Internationale de Football Association World Cup, there were fewer emergency department visits for traumatic injury. Furthermore, there were fewer all-cause pediatric emergency department visits during hometown matches. These results will assist in planning for future mass-gathering events.

Keywords: Soccer

Language: en