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Introduction: According to the literature, the increased recreational use of the snowmobile has resulted in an increasing number of musculoskeletal injuries. We wished to examine whether previously described risk factors continue to be associated with snowmobile trauma and to identify previously unrecognized risks and specific patterns of injury. Methods: We carried out a chart review of all snowmobile related injuries over a 10-year period at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg, the only level 1 trauma centre serving the Province of Manitoba, with particular attention to the risk factors of suboptimal lighting, excessive speed and alcohol consumption. Results: We identified 480 injuries in 294 patients, and 81 (27.6%) of these patients died. Collisions accounted for 72% of the injury mechanisms. Of the injuries sustained, 31% occurred on roads. Excessive speed was a risk factor in 54% of patients, suboptimal lighting in 86% and a blood alcohol level greater than 0.08 in 70%. Musculoskeletal injuries accounted for 57% of those recorded. There were also brachial plexus injuries (3%) and knee dislocations (2%). To our knowledge, this is the largest study detailing injury associated with recreational use of snowmobiles in Canada. Conclusions: Because snowmobile trauma is caused principally by human errors, it is potentially preventable. Efforts aimed at prevention must focus on the driver, who controls the common risk factors. The danger of snowmobiling while intoxicated must be emphasized. Trail-side monitoring is likely to be ineffective, as the majority of accidents do not occur on designated snowmobile trails. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines orthopedic injuries in children associated with backyard trampoline use. Children admitted to the Winnipeg Children's Hospital; Review of the charts, x-ray films and operative reports for children under 16 years old.

Analyzes the usefulness of the skyline view radiograph in the assessment of acute knee trauma in children in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Observation of a link between the mechanism of injury and visualization of damage on radiograph; Applications of a skyline view radiograph; Usefulness of radiographic imaging in establishing diagnosis for knee injury.

Two hundred and thirty-three children who had musculoskeletal injuries related to the use of off-road vehicles were admitted to acute-care hospitals in the two largest urban centers in Manitoba between April 1979 and August 1986. There were 190 boys and forty-three girls, and the ages ranged from two to seventeen years. Ninety-three accidents involved the use of a minibike or dirtbike; seventy-two, a snowmobile; fifty-nine, a three-wheeled all-terrain vehicle; and nine, a four-wheeled all-terrain vehicle. The injuries in 73 per cent of the children occurred in a rural setting. The use of alcohol or a drug was recorded for only three children. Loss of control of the vehicle led to the majority of injuries. There were 352 fractures of an extremity or the spine and fifty-one major soft-tissue injuries of the musculoskeletal system; 186 (53 per cent) of the fractures were displaced, 107 (46 per cent) of the patients had more than one fracture, and thirty-four (10 per cent) of the fractures were open. There were sixty growth-plate injuries. A total of 186 associated injuries were present in ninety-one patients. In a separate review of the records of the Chief Medical Examiner, it was noted that twenty-one fatal accidents that were related to the use of off-road vehicles occurred in the Province of Manitoba during the same period of time.

Injuries and deaths associated with off-road recreational vehicles are of increasing concern in North America. We reviewed all hospital admissions and deaths attributed to these vehicles in Manitoba from April 1979 to April 1985 among children 16 years of age or younger. Of the 693 hospital admissions and deaths 480 were associated with motorbikes, snowmobiles or all-terrain vehicles (ATVs). The incidence of injuries resulting from snowmobile and dirtbike accidents remained stable over the study period; however, there was an almost exponential increase in the number of admissions because of ATV-related injuries. There were 21 deaths during the study period. Preventive measures through legislation are necessary to reduce the numbers of injuries and deaths; these include mandatory registration, licensing and enhanced safety regulations.