Citation

Exadaktylos AK, Eggensperger NM, Eggli S, Smolka KM, Zimmermann H, Iizuka T. Br. J. Sports Med. 2004; 38(6): 750-753.

Affiliation

Department of Anaesthesiology and Emergency Medicine, Inselspital, University Hospital Bern, Bern 3010, Switzerland. aristomenis@exadaktylos.ch.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, BMJ Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1136/bjsm.2003.008581

PMID

15562172

PMCID

PMC1724969

Abstract

BACKGROUND: With the increase in the amount of medical data handled by emergency units, advances in computerisation have become necessary. New computer technology should have a major influence on accident analysis and prevention and the quality of research in the future. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the occurrence of sports related maxillofacial injuries using a newly installed relational database. To establish the first sports trauma database in Switzerland. METHODS: The Qualicare databank was used to prospectively review 57 248 case histories of patients treated in the Department of Emergency Medicine between January 2000 and December 2002. Pre-defined key words were used to collect data on sports related maxillofacial injuries. RESULTS: A total of 750 patients with maxillofacial injuries were identified. Ninety (12%) were sports related maxillofacial fractures. Most (27%) were sustained during skiing and snowboarding, 22% during team sports such as soccer or ice hockey, and 21% were from cycling accidents. Sixty eight per cent of the cyclists, 50% of the ice hockey players and soccer players, and 48% of the skiers and snowboarders had isolated fractures of the midface. Fractures of the mandible were noted predominantly in contact sports. CONCLUSIONS: Computerisation of trauma and emergency units and the introduction of customised software can significantly reduce the workload of researchers and doctors. The effective use of new computer technology should have a considerable influence on research and the quality of future prospective and retrospective studies.