The epidemiology of sports-related fractures in adolescents.

Objective: To examine the epidemiology of sports-related fractures in adolescents aged 10-19 years.

Methods: All fractures in adolescents presenting to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh in a one-year period were prospectively documented and all sports-related fractures retrospectively examined. These two hospitals have a defined population facilitating epidemiological studies.

Nonoperative fracture treatment in the modern era.

Background: Nonoperative fracture treatment has been used for millennia, but there has been no demographic study of its use for half a century. In the last 50 to 60 years, there has been an increased interest in operative fracture fixation and in many specialized Trauma hospitals nonoperative management is less frequently used. However, these specialized hospitals do not reflect fracture treatment in the whole community, and we have undertaken a study to investigate the current prevalence of nonoperative fracture treatment.

The epidemiology of fractures in children.

A retrospective study of all paediatric fractures presenting to hospital in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2000 was undertaken. It showed that the incidence of fractures was 20.2/1000/year and that 61% of children's fractures occurred in males.

Is the 'LEMON' method an easily applied emergency airway assessment tool?

Objective: To assess whether the 'LEMON' method, devised by the developers of the US National Emergency Airway Management Course, is an easily applied airway assessment tool in patients undergoing treatment in the emergency department resuscitation room.

Methods: One hundred patients treated in the resuscitation room of a UK teaching hospital between June 2002 and January 2003 were assessed on criteria based on the 'LEMON' method.

Results: All seven criteria of the 'Look' section of the method could be adequately assessed.