@article{ref1,
title="Emergency service assistance for injuries on Alpine ski slopes: a cross-sectional study",
journal="Prehospital and disaster medicine",
year="2022",
author="Wagner, Moritz and Pfurtscheller, Simon and Dammerer, Dietmar and Nardelli, Paul and Kaufmann, Gerhard and Brunner, Alexander",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="OBJECTIVES: Injuries on alpine ski slopes have been described in cohorts of a reasonable sample size, but constant improvements in safety gear, increased use of airborne rescue, and safety measures during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic mandate re-evaluation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate skiing and snowboarding injuries, effectiveness of airborne rescue, and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on a large sample size. <br><br>METHODS: Data on alpine injuries were prospectively collected from the state emergency services dispatch center in the state of Tyrol (Austria). A total of 10,143 patients were identified, with an average age of 33.5 years (SD = 20.36). The ski patrol was involved in 8,606 cases (84.9%) and some patients (n = 1,536; 15.1%) required helicopter rescue. <br><br>RESULTS: A total of 10,143 patients were identified from the dataset of the emergency dispatch center. The most frequently injured region was the knee (30.2%), and it was followed by the shoulder (12.9%), the lower leg (9.5%), and the head/skull (9.5%). <br><br>CONCLUSION: The present findings indicate that the most frequent site of injuries on alpine slopes is the knee, and life-threatening injuries are rare. Airborne rescue is very time-effective, however clinical studies with patient follow-up should be emphasized to determine the impact of airborne rescue on patient outcome. The present findings indicate that the duration of all rescue operations has been prolonged as a result of the introduction of safety measures during the COVID-19 pandemic.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1049-023X",
doi="10.1017/S1049023X22001364",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1049023X22001364"
}