Horse-related injuries in children.
Abstract: To identify the frequency, spectrum and outcome of horse-related injuries in children. Methods: Retrospective case series of horse-related injuries in children admitted to the Children's Hospital at Westmead (CHW) from January 1988 to December 1999, the John Hunter Children's Hospital (JHCH) from January 1991 to December 1997 and deaths reported to the New South Wales Paediatric Trauma Death (NPTD) Registry from January 1988 to December 1999. Methods: Circumstances of injury; helmet use; adult supervision; type and number of injuries identified. Results: 232 children were admitted with horse-related trauma, 97 to the CHW over 12 years and 135 to JHCH over seven years, with one death at each hospital. There were six deaths reported to the NPTD Registry over 12 years. The median age was 11 years (range, 1-17). Girls accounted for 65% of those injured and 75% of children were injured while riding. Falls caused the injury in 76.3% of cases. Head and upper-limb trauma accounted for 216 of the injuries (73%). Five out of six children with severe head injuries died. In the CHW group, helmet use was documented in only 24 riders (38%) and adult supervision in 22 (22.9%). Conclusions: Horse-related trauma accounts for a considerable number of deaths and injuries in children in NSW. The use of a Standards-approved helmet for riding or horse-related activities might have decreased the severity of head injuries.
Publication Date: 2002-02-12 PubMed ID: 11837860DOI: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2001.tb143746.xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research article discusses a study that examines the prevalence and types of horse-related injuries in children, and suggests that helmet use could potentially decrease the severity of these injuries.
Objective and Methods
- The objective of the study was to identify the frequency, spectrum, and outcome of horse-related injuries in children.
- To achieve this, the researchers conducted a retrospective case series study. This involved reviewing past data and medical records of children who were admitted to Children’s Hospital at Westmead (CHW) and John Hunter Children’s Hospital (JHCH) due to horse-related injuries.
- The study included all such cases from January 1988 to December 1999 at CHW and from January 1991 to December 1997 at JHCH. In addition, the researchers included deaths due to horse-related injuries reported to the New South Wales Paediatric Trauma Death (NPTD) Registry from January 1988 to December 1999.
- The information collected included the circumstances of injury; whether a helmet was used; if there was adult supervision; and the type and number of injuries identified.
Results
- During the study period, 232 children were admitted to the hospital with horse-related injuries, with one death at each hospital. Additionally, the NPTD registry reported six deaths over 12 years.
- The median age of the injured children was 11 years and girls accounted for 65% of the injuries.
- Most of the children (75%) were injured while riding. The most common cause of injury was falls, which accounted for 76.3% of the cases. The majority of injuries were head and upper-limb trauma, which made up 73% of the total injuries.
- Of the six children with severe head injuries, five of them died. This suggests a high mortality rate for severe head injuries.
- In the CHW group, only 24 riders (38%) were documented to have used a helmet, and adult supervision was only present in 22.9% of the cases.
Conclusions
- The study concluded that horse-related injuries account for a significant number of injuries and deaths among children in New South Wales.
- The researchers suggest that the use of a Standards-approved helmet for riding or horse-related activities could potentially reduce the severity of head injuries.
Cite This Article
APA
Holland AJ, Roy GT, Goh V, Ross FI, Keneally JP, Cass DT.
(2002).
Horse-related injuries in children.
Med J Aust, 175(11-12), 609-612.
https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.2001.tb143746.x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Academic Surgery, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children, The University of Sydney, NSW. AndrewH3@chw.edu.au
MeSH Terms
- Adolescent
- Age Distribution
- Animals
- Athletic Injuries / epidemiology
- Athletic Injuries / etiology
- Athletic Injuries / mortality
- Australia / epidemiology
- Child
- Child, Preschool
- Female
- Horses
- Humans
- Infant
- Male
- Registries
- Retrospective Studies
- Rural Population
- Sex Distribution
- Urban Population
Citations
This article has been cited 4 times.- Byard RW. Farming deaths - an ongoing problem. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2017 Mar;13(1):1-3.
- Kiss K, Swatek P, Lénárt I, Mayr J, Schmidt B, Pintér A, Höllwarth ME. Analysis of horse-related injuries in children. Pediatr Surg Int 2008 Oct;24(10):1165-9.
- Siebenga J, Segers MJ, Elzinga MJ, Bakker FC, Haarman HJ, Patka P. Spine fractures caused by horse riding. Eur Spine J 2006 Apr;15(4):465-71.
- Loder RT, Walker AL, Blakemore LC. Injury Patterns and Associated Demographic Characteristics in Children with a Fracture from Equines: A US National Based Study. Children (Basel) 2024 Nov 27;11(12).
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