Hospitalizedagriculturalfractureandsofttissueinjuriesin.docVIP

Hospitalized agricultural strain, sprain, dislocation and fracture injuries in Canada, 1990-2000 From April 1, 1990 to March 31, 2000, the Canadian Agricultural Injury Surveillance Program (CAISP) identified 14,884 agricultural injuries that required admission to hospital. Of those hospitalized injuries, 6,319 (43.0%) were fractures, 718 (4.8%) were strains or sprains, and 407 (2.7%) were dislocations. Most tendon, ligament and joint injuries are treated in emergency departments or at clinics so they are not included in CAISP’s database. In spite of this, 7.5% of CAISP’s hospitalized agricultural injuries from 1990 to 2000 were the result of injuries to tendons, ligaments and joints. The common perception is that strains, sprains and dislocations are relatively minor injuries that require minimal medical intervention. In fact, the average length of hospital stay for a sprain or strain was 3.7 days, with a maximum length of stay of 55 days. Patients who suffered a dislocation had an average length of stay of 4.2 days with a 70 day maximum length of stay. Strains, sprains and dislocations are therefore very costly in terms of the health care resources required for treatment, lost work time and reduced productivity. Hospitalized bone, muscle, tendon and ligament injuries: Patient age and length of stay Fractures Strains/sprains Dislocations Average age 43.2 46.8 44.1 Minimum age 1 3 1 Maximum age 99 90 84 Average length of stay 6.9 days 3.7days 4.2 days Minimum length of stay 1 day 1 day 1 day Maximum length of stay 366 days 55 days 70 days Number of injuries 6,319 718 407  Fractures are more likely to be treated in hospital, so many more fracture injuries are included in CAISP database. In fact, 43% of all hospitalized injuries recorded by CAISP from 1990-2000 were fractures. The average length of stay was 6.9 days with a maximum stay of 366 days. The types of hospitalized fractures most frequently seen in children under 15, younger adults (15-59)