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Biomedical subjects

Christina Brudvik

Publications and source records attributed to Christina Brudvik.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Injuries caused by small wheel devices.

We wanted to look for characteristics in injuries caused by rollerblades, skateboards and unmotorized kick scooters in order to recommend more targeted injury prevention. From September 2000 we did a two-year prospective registration of all small wheel device injuries attending Bergen Accident and Emergency Department's surgical unit. We registered a total of 273 injuries, and found an obvious difference in injury pattern between the three. Rollerbladers were more prone to fractures in their hands and arms, especially distal radial fractures, but also scaphoid fractures. This fracture is seldom in children, but not in child injuries caused by small wheel devices. Skateboarders were susceptible to ankle sprains and had the lowest injury severity among the three activities. Kick scooter users got mostly wound injuries, but had a high frequency of distal radial fractures with volar angulation, the Smith-type of fracture. There were also differences in user groups; 2/3 of injured rollerbladers were boys, mostly aged 12, a typical, injured skateboarder was a young male aged 13, and an injured kick scooter user was either an 11-year-old girl or boy. The use of effective wrist braces could have prevented most injuries in both rollerblading and kickscootering. Due to the high susceptibility of small wheel devices to uneven grounds resulting in falls, these activities should be prohibited in traffic and darkness. Preventive advice should preferably reach children aged 11 to 13.

Adolescent↗

[Unpowered scooter injuries].

BACKGROUND: Injuries caused by the use of unpowered kick scooters in Bergen were registered after their introduction on the Norwegian market in 2000. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In a prospective one-year registration we found 62 patients with 82 injuries in Bergen accident and emergency department. RESULTS: Boys and girls were injured to the same extent; the age span was from 6 to 53 years, mean age 11. Most injuries occurred in September. Two thirds injured their arms/hands, one-sixth their head and one-sixth their legs/feet. Wounds accounted for 37 injuries, often in the face (n = 11) or knees (n = 12). Fractures occurred in 34 % (n = 28); one third needed reduction. Lower arm fractures were most numerous (n = 17), the Smith type with volar angulation occurring in almost half of these. Few had used safety equipment (n = 5). INTERPRETATION: Kick scooters cause fewer injuries than rollerblades and skateboards, but the use of wrist protection and helmet is still recommended. Kick scooters should not be used in traffic.

Accidental Falls↗

Childhood fractures in Bergen, Norway: identifying high-risk groups and activities.

In 1998 the authors conducted a prospective registration of children younger than 16 presenting with a new traumatic fracture in the city of Bergen, Norway. In this epidemiologic study, the authors registered a total of 1.725 fractures in children; the fracture incidence was 245 per 10,000 children below the age of 16. One fifth needed reduction, and the distal radius was the most common fracture site (27%). Activities associated with fracture were mostly soccer and bicycling, but compared with the total number of injuries associated with each activity, we found a doubled risk of fractures during rollerblading/skating or snowboarding (60%) compared with playing soccer (38%) or bicycling (33%). Scaphoid fracture, an infrequent fracture in children, was seen in 9% of all fractures due to rollerblading/skating. There was a doubled risk of fracture in boys aged 13 to 15 compared with their female peers. To make fracture prevention more efficient, it should be targeted at this risk group and these high-risk activities. Protection of the wrist region might prevent the most common fractures.

Adolescent↗