Effect of implementation of safety measures in tae kwon do competition.

BACKGROUND: Previous reviews of tae kwon do (TKD) tournaments have documented injury rates of 25/1000 to 12.7/100 athlete exposures. Most injuries have been reported to be to the head and the neck and are occasionally very serious. Many of these studies involved high level TKD competitions with minimal safety precautions. Recently, safety measures have been implemented in many TKD competitions. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate retrospectively the incidence of injuries in TKD competitions involving a wide range of participants and featuring extensive safety precautions. METHODS: A total of 2498 participants ranged in age from 18 to 66, included both men and women, and ranged in rank from yellow to black belt. Traumas, defined as any event requiring interaction with medical staff, were documented with respect to mechanism, diagnosis, treatment, and follow up recommendations. An injury was defined as a trauma that prevented a contestant from resuming competition on the day that the trauma occurred, according to National Collegiate Athletic Association criteria. RESULTS: The injury rate was 0.4/1000 athlete exposures. This is lower than reported in previous studies of TKD tournaments and in many other sports. CONCLUSION: TKD tournaments that emphasise limited contact, protective equipment, and medical supervision are relatively safe and compare favourably with other sports.

Acute myocardial infarction after intravenous radiographic contrast medium.

Acute myocardial infarction after the use of intravenous radiographic contrast medium (RCM) is rare. There is only one reported case in the literature; this is the second case. A 65-year-old woman complained of pain in the right costovertebral area, and abdominal ultrasonography showed hydronephrosis. She had insulin-dependent diabetes and hypertension. Intravenous pyelogram, using renographin, was performed. Within 5 minutes, she felt bad and became hypotensive and diaphoretic. Laboratory studies and electrocardiography confirmed the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction. Generally, elderly and diabetic patients with abnormal renal function are considered to be at high risk for adverse reactions to RCM. Renal function was normal. It has also been reported that high R osmolality RCM such as renographin, is associated with a greater risk of adverse reactions compared with the use of low-osmolar RCM. This case should raise awareness regarding acute myocardial infarction as a complication after the use of intravenous RCM.