ABSTRACT
Hospital admissions for trampoline-related injuries are a metric of injury severity. The literature shows hospital admissions are more likely to occur from trampoline park injuries rather than home trampoline injuries. The purpose of this study was to investigate the demographics, injury characteristics, patient experiences, and economic impact of home versus trampoline park injuries requiring admission to hospital before and after two indoor trampoline parks opened in the catchment area of a Level II trauma centre. A case series research design was used. All patients who were admitted to hospital following a trampoline injury were contacted. For those who consented, clinical data was recorded from patients' charts and electronic health records. A subset of participants consented to a telephone interview wherein patient narratives were collected on the mechanism of injury, recovery process, and impact of the injury. During the study period, 15 patients required 17 hospital admissions. Twelve consented to participate in the study. Nine of the 12 required an operative intervention. Eight of the 12 were trampoline park injuries. Anatomical location of the injuries, injury type and severity scores, hospital stay, and median age were similar. The economic impact of home trampoline and trampoline park injuries varied. Overall, there were more hospital admissions and more operative interventions for trampoline park injuries during the four-year study period. Seven participants who consented to be interviewed provided additional insights into the injury experience and long-term outcomes. This study contributes to the literature on trampoline-related injuries, focusing on hospital admissions, economic impact, and adds the important perspective of patients in evaluating the effect of these injuries.
ABSTRACT
We compared the effectiveness of free tissue transfer in repairing high-voltage electrical extremity injuries with conventional multistage procedures. Patients were matched for age, sex, level of injury, voltage, and burn surface area; results were compared using the paired Student T test. Free tissue transfer was performed a mean of 19.1 +/- 10.6 days after the injury occurred, and definitive wound closure and limb salvage were achieved in 87.5% of patients after a mean of 23.0 +/- 9.1 days after the injury. The overall flap survival rate was 80% (13 of 15 flaps). Three flaps failed, two of which were lower-limb flaps at the knee level used for patients with injuries to both upper and lower limbs. Both patients required upper and lower proximal ipsilateral limb amputations. One upper-extremity flap failed after pedicle avulsion 4 days after surgery, but a second free tissue transfer was successful in salvaging this limb 4 days later. The number of surgeries, time required to achieve wound closure, and length of hospitalization were all statistically significantly lower in the free flap group compared with those in the conventional treatment group.
