[Interdisciplinary cooperation in emergency room management]. / Interdisziplinäre Zusammenarbeit im Schockraummanagement.

Accidents do not only cause human harm but also tremendous costs. Prevention of injuries and improvement of management has reduced the mortality in trauma during recent years. Because time is an important factor in treatment of severely injured patients, the initial clinical treatment is the key in the management of these patients. Appropriate equipment and personnel are necessary to provide an efficient management of trauma patients. A strategy focused on life-threatening injuries and simultaneous diagnostic and therapeutic procedures are critical in the "golden hour of shock".

[Technical defects of tourniquet manometers]. / Manometerdefekte bei Operationen in Blutsperre oder Blutleere.

The use of a tourniquet causes in 0.013% to 1.15% complications (e.g. delayed wound healing, increased rate of infections, thrombosis, pulmonary embolisms,rhabdomyolysis, and compartment syndromes). The rate of these complications depends on the applied pressure, the duration and the cuff design. Also a technical defect of the pressure gauge can lead to complications. A patient with a peroneal palsy after the use of a tourniquet was referred to the Department for Trauma Surgery of the Medical School of the University of Vienna for medical evidence. As there were no reports in the literature about the occurrence rate of technical defects of tourniquet manometers, we checked all tourniquet pressure gauges used at our clinic. Six from eleven gauges were defect and had to be replaced. To minimize the risk for our patients we recommend to check the calibration of the pressure gauges periodically. With regard to the used pressure rate and duration only different recommendations can be found in literature.

Risk of injury through snowboarding.

OBJECTIVE: Survey of a group of snowboarders and study of their injuries, as well as analysis of the risk of injury considering the time spent on the snowboard. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Of 7,221 students participating in winter sport programs organized by Austrian schools, 2,745 of those riding snowboards were asked to fill out questionnaires pertaining to demographics, their experience level, equipment, snowboard riding habits, and associated injuries. RESULTS: A total of 2,579 snowboarders (94%), who spent a total of 10,119 days snowboarding, filled out a questionnaire which could be evaluated. A total of 152 snowboarders had suffered a mean of 10.6 injuries per 1,000 days of snowboarding, which required medical care; 5.4/1,000 injuries were moderate or severe. The most common injuries were to the wrist (32%), the hand (20%), and the head (11%). The rate of injury was especially high during the first half-day (roughly 3 hours). Use of wrist protection devices reduced injuries to the wrist from 2 to 0.5% (p = 0.048). CONCLUSION: Risk of snowboard related injury was highest in beginners. Through the use of wrist protection devices, the incidence of the most common injuries was dramatically reduced.

[Risk of injuries in snow boarding]. / Verletzungsrisiken beim Snowboarden.

Survey of a group of injured snowboarders and analysis of their sustained injuries and risk factors in comparison to experience level and equipment. 55% of all injuries occurred within the first 7 days of learning how to ride the snowboard. The affected body region of 36% of all injuries and 53% of the severe injuries was the wrist. The primary mechanism of injury was through low-velocity falls on hard or icy snow, essentially a loss of balance with backward fall onto out-stretched arms leading to hyperextension and trauma to the wrist.