Injuries in Children and Adolescents--analysis of 41,330 Injury Related Visits to an Emergency Department in Northern Sweden

Objectives: We present an overview of the injuries seen at the emergency department of a regional hospital in northern Sweden and the variations in the injury pattern with age, sex and time.

Methods: Data consisting of all injuries sustained by those 0-19 years of age seen at the emergency department of Umeå University Hospital between 1998 and 2008 (41,330 injury events) were analysed with respect to injury type, mechanism, activity, age and sex. Rates were calculated using population data from Statistics Sweden.

Results: The rate of injury related visits to the emergency department was 110/1000 person years. The most common causes of visits to the emergency department were minor injuries such as contusions, abrasions and open wounds. 12% of the injuries resulted in admission to a ward. Variations in type of injury, mechanism and activity at injury were noted, in particular with age, but also with sex. We noted a 31% rate increase of visits to the hospital's emergency department between 1998 and 2008, rate ratio 1.31 (1.27-1.38). There was no significant increase in the rate of injuries resulting in hospitalisation.

Conclusions: Our results give an estimate of the rate of all injuries and subsets of injuries resulting in visits to the only hospital emergency department within a well defined catchment area. It was not possible to determine whether the increased rate of visits to the ED was due to an increase in the actual rate of injuries within the catchment area. The variations seen in different age groups reflect the hazards associated with different periods in growth and the ability to cope with these. The results point to areas where improved preventive measures may be implemented or where further research may be of value.