All-Terrain Vehicle(ATV) Injuries – An Institutional Review Over 6 Years

OBJECTIVE: Quad bike or all-terrain vehicle (ATV) related injuries are a significant cause of trauma and may present with severe or fatal injuries. Most of the literature describing ATV related injuries come from North America and Australasia and data from the United Kingdom is scarce despite a high prevalence of ATV use. The aim of this study was to describe our single centre experience with ATV injuries over a 6-year period from 2010 to 2015. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a cohort analysis of 65 patients who presented with ATV related injuries in South West Acute Hospital, UK between 2010 and 2015. RESULTS: 65 patients had ATV injuries. 34 (52%) patients were children between 0 – 17 years of age. 88% (n=57) patients were ejected from the ATV, six got trapped underneath and two had collisions. “Ejection” as a mechanism of injury was significantly more common than the other mechanisms (p<0.0001). Compliance with helmet use was low at 16% (n=10). Extremity (48%) and head and face trauma (43%) were the most common injuries. One (1.5%) patient died while 3 (4.6%) patients had major morbidity. CONCLUSION: ATV injuries are an important cause of trauma admissions and carry a significant risk of morbidity and mortality. Extremity and head trauma are the most common injuries resulting from ATV accidents. More than 50% of the injured are children. Compliance with helmet use is low and calls for legislation and public awareness strategies to reduce the impact of ATV accidents on health care.