Citation

Heller G, Immer FF, Savolainen H, Kraehenbuehl ES, Carrel TP, Schmidli J. J. Trauma 2006; 61(4): 979-980.

Affiliation

Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1097/01.ta.0000228878.09533.99

PMID

17033572

Abstract

BACKGROUND:: New equipment and techniques in winter sports, such as carving skis and snowboards, have brought up new trauma patterns into the spectrum of leisure trauma. The injuries resemble high-energy trauma known from road crashes. The aim of the present study was to assess the incidence of acute traumatic descending aortic rupture in recreational skiing-crashes. MATERIAL:: Between January 1995 and December 2004, 22 patients were admitted to our hospital for aortic rupture. Four patients had skiing crashes (18.2%). Mean age was 31 years, all patients were male. In two cases, aortic rupture was associated with fractures of the upper and lower extremities. One patient additionally had a cerebral contusion with an initial Glasgow Coma Scale score of 13. In two patients, isolated aortic rupture was diagnosed. RESULTS:: Two patients were treated by graft interposition, and one by endograft. One patient arrived under mechanical resuscitation without blood pressure. He died at admission. He had been observed for 5 hours in another hospital, complaining of severe intrascapular back pain, before transport to our trauma unit for unknown bleeding. In the other three cases, treatment was successful. CONCLUSION:: Rescue services and paramedics should be aware of this new type of injury. Acute aortic rupture has to be considered as possible injury in high velocity skiing crashes.

Language: en