ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: A previous report revealed an average of 7.2 (0.67 per 100,000 participants) sport-related structural brain injuries (SRSBIs) with macroscopic lesions per year in high school (HS) and college football players. The Lystedt law and other rule changes have been implemented with intent to reduce the risk of brain injury in football. HYPOTHESIS: To update the profile of SRSBIs in HS and college football players and evaluate the efficacy of legislation intended to reduce brain injuries. STUDY DESIGN: Descriptive epidemiology study. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 18 academic years (July 2002 through June 2020) of SRSBIs catalogued by the National Registry of Catastrophic Sports Injuries. The incidence of SRSBIs was assessed at the HS level during the pre (July 2002 through June 2009), transitional (July 2009 through June 2014), and post (July 2014 through June 2020) universal adoption time periods of the Lystedt law. In addition, the incidence of SRSBIs during the second half of the study (2011-2012 through 2019-2020) was compared with the first half of the study (2002-2003 through 2010-2011). RESULTS: During the study period, there was a total of 228 SRSBIs (12.7 per year, 1.01 per 100,000 participants): 212 (93%, 11.8 per year, 1.00 per 100,000) in HS athletes and 16 (7%, 0.89 per year, 1.17 per 100,000) in college athletes. There were 52 fatalities (2.9 per year, 0.22 per 100,000 participants) with 46 (2.56 per year, 0.22 per 100,000) in HS athletes and 6 (0.33 per year, 0.43/100,000) in college athletes. There was no significant difference in risk of HS total SRSBIs or fatalities during the 3 Lystedt periods. The risk of combined SRSBI cases [relative risk (RR) = 1.22, P = 0.13] and fatalities (RR = 1.20, P = 0.52) was similar in the second half of the study compared with the first half of the study. CONCLUSION: Despite implementation of rule changes intended to reduce head injury, in particular the Lystedt law, the incidence of SRSBIs has remained unchanged. Further research is necessary to develop effective prevention programs for SRSBIs. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: SRSBIs remain a persistent problem in HS and college American football. The recent head injury rule changes have not been effective at reducing SRSBIs.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The lack of a common patient-reported outcome metric used among the orthopaedic population is a problem that has been previously identified by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) was developed by the National Institute of Health with the goal of creating a precise and efficient measurement tool for patient-reported symptoms, functioning, and health-related quality of life to be used in clinical research. A study summarizing its use in the pediatric orthopaedic population has not been previously performed. METHODS: We performed a literature search of Ovid Medline, Embase, Scopus, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from 2010 to August 2021. There were 1961 unique citations included after the removal of 1756 duplicates. After initial screening, 183 studies were screened under full-text review leaving a final number of 51 studies included in this scoping review. RESULTS: Pediatric PROMIS studies were grouped by body part or sub-speciality: "Hand and Upper Extremity" (25.5%, n=13), "Sports" (23.5%, n=12), "Spine" (13.7%, n=7), "Trauma" (13.7%, n=7), "General Pediatric Orthopaedics" (11.8%, n=6), "Lower Extremity" (9.8%, n=5), and "Orthopaedic Oncology" (2%, n=1). An increase in studies utilizing PROMIS was seen throughout the study period with only 3 studies published from 2013 to 2016 to 39 in 2020 and 2021 alone. The 3 most frequently used pediatric PROMIS domains were Pain Interference (76.5%, n=39/51), Mobility (60.8%, n=31/51), and Upper Extremity (54.9%, n=28/51). 64.3% (n=9/14) of the included studies which reported on the floor effects of Pain Interference exhibited a significant floor effect. In all, 77.8% (n=7/9) of the included studies which reported on ceiling effects of Upper Extremity exhibited a significant ceiling effect. CONCLUSION: The use of PROMIS increased significantly since the first publication in 2013 suggesting orthopaedic providers have increasingly utilized PROMIS in their day-to-day practice as an outcome measure. Ceiling and floor effects were prominent in several of the included domains (Pain Interference and Upper Extremity). Overall, PROMIS measures are efficient, reliable, and effective to use. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.
