Helmets and Skiers

Helmets significantly reduce calvarial fracture risk in young skiers, snowboarders.
Medscape (3/1, Gandey) reported that skiers and snowboarders who are wearing helmets are less likely to sustain skull fractures in an accident, according to a study in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics. The retrospective review included 57 pediatric patients with head injuries, who were admitted to two Level I trauma centers during a six-year period. "Only a third of the children were wearing a helmet at the time of injury," but computed tomography scan reports indicated that the children who were wearing helmets "sustained fewer calvarial fractures," 5.3% compared to 36.8% for those not wearing helmets.