Traumatic Spinal Injury Associated with All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) Accidents: A 10-Year Retrospective Analysis of the Coachella Valley

OBJECTIVE: The use of all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and associated injuries have significantly increased in the last decade. This study aimed to determine the frequency of ATV-associated spinal cord injuries (SCIs) in the Coachella Valley, California, and provide recommendations for data reproducibility in other areas with a similarly substantial level of ATV usage and injuries. METHODS: This retrospective analysis included data obtained through screening the trauma database of a level II trauma center for ATV-related injuries between January 1, 2010 and January 1, 2020. RESULTS: Our data suggest that more than one-third of patients admitted to the trauma center over a 10-year period suffered from spinal injury. Injuries to the spine were further categorized as including the spinal cord (radiographically or clinically) or only including the bony or ligamentous elements of the spine. Injury was more common in men and predominantly located in the thoracic spine. Injuries such as epidural hematoma, vertebral artery, and cord contusion were common, with many patients requiring neurosurgical intervention. CONCLUSION: Highlighting the implicit dangers of ATV accidents on the spine could help identify outcomes and variables predictive of spinal injuries and spinal cord injuries necessary for patient management. Additionally, our study sets the framework by which legislating bodies could replicate the study for proper legislation and recommendations that may help prevent such injuries.