Cycling injuries and alcohol
| Autor: | Noora Airaksinen, Heikki Kröger, Peter Lüthje, Ilona Nurmi-Lüthje, J. Matti Kataja |
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| Přispěvatelé: | Clinicum, Department of Public Health, University of Helsinki |
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
Male
Injury severity Alcohol Injury BRAIN-INJURY Helmet use ACCIDENTS chemistry.chemical_compound 0302 clinical medicine Risk Factors Blood alcohol Craniocerebral Trauma Medicine Prospective Studies 030212 general & internal medicine Risk of head injury Finland General Environmental Science TRAUMA Abbreviated Injury Scale Traffic accident MILD HEAD-INJURY Accidents Traffic Cycling Middle Aged Breath analyser 3142 Public health care science environmental and occupational health 3. Good health Blood Alcohol Content Female Head Protective Devices Emergency Service Hospital INTERVENTION Adult medicine.medical_specialty Adolescent Cost Young Adult 03 medical and health sciences PEOPLE Humans Aged HELMET USE business.industry 030208 emergency & critical care medicine CONSUMPTION Emergency department 3126 Surgery anesthesiology intensive care radiology Bicycling BICYCLE INJURIES chemistry 3121 General medicine internal medicine and other clinical medicine Utilization Review Emergency medicine General Earth and Planetary Sciences SEVERITY SCORE business Alcoholic Intoxication human activities Treatment of injury |
| Popis: | Most of the cycling accidents that occur in Finland do not end up in the official traffic accident statistics. Thus, there is minimal information on these accidents and their consequences, particularly in cases in which alcohol was involved. The focus of the present study is on cycling accidents and injuries involving alcohol in particular.Data on patients visiting the emergency department at North Kymi Hospital because of a cycling accident was prospectively collected for two years, from June 1, 2004 to May 31, 2006. Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was measured on admission with a breath analyser. The severity of the cycling injuries was classified according to the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS).A total of 217 cycling accidents occurred. One third of the injured cyclists were involved with alcohol at the time of visiting the hospital. Of these, 85% were males. A blood alcohol concentration of ≥ 1.2 g/L was measured in nearly 90% of all alcohol-related cases. A positive BAC result was more common among males than females (p 0.001), and head injuries were more common among cyclists where alcohol was involved (AI) (60%) than among sober cyclists (29%) (p 0.001). Two thirds (64%) of the cyclists with AI were not wearing a bicycle helmet. The figure for serious injuries (MAIS ≥ 3) was similar in both groups. Intoxication with an alcohol level of more than 1.5 g/L and the age of 15 to 24 years were found to be risk factors for head injuries. The mean cost of treatment was higher among sober cyclists than among cyclists with AI (€2143 vs. €1629), whereas in respect of the cost of work absence, the situation was the opposite (€1348 vs. €1770, respectively).Cyclists involved with alcohol were, in most cases, heavily intoxicated and were not wearing a bicycle helmet. Head injuries were more common among these cyclists than among sober cyclists. As cycling continues to increase, it is important to monitor cycling accidents, improve the accident statistics and heighten awareness of the risks of head injuries when cycling under the influence of alcohol. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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