TY - JOUR PY - 2019// TI - Bicycle injuries among the paediatric population at an emergency department in Singapore JO - Singapore medical journal A1 - Beckwith, Kristy A1 - James, Vigil A1 - Kalaiselvan, Karthigaiyan A1 - Ganapathy, Sashikumar SP - 343 EP - 346 VL - 60 IS - 7 N2 - INTRODUCTION: Bicycles injuries are the leading cause of emergency department visits among all recreational activities and have been established as a significant worldwide public health burden. The purpose of this retrospective study was to describe the epidemiology and patterns of paediatric bicycle-related injuries in Singapore.

METHODS: This was a single-centre retrospective study based on data collected from a trauma registry between 2011 and 2016.

RESULTS: A total of 760 patients presented to the ED during this period, of whom 68.2% were male and 39.7% were aged 10-16 years. 50.1% of the patients were Chinese and 25.9% were Malay. The cyclist was the person most commonly injured (65.7%) during the bicycle accident. From 2011 to 2015, the number of bicycle injuries showed a persistent upward trend. Superficial injuries such as abrasions and bruises were the most common injuries sustained (46.1%), followed by fractures. The majority of the patients were discharged from the emergency department. There were no bicycle accident deaths recorded during the study period.

CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrated an increasing number of bicycle injuries among paediatric cyclists in the local setting. Parents, teachers, coaches and other caregivers should be educated regarding the need to use protective equipment and to seek medical care promptly in the case of trauma resulting from bicycle injuries.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 0037-5675 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.11622/smedj.2019009 ID - ref1 ER -