Youth motorcycle-related hospitalizations and traumatic brain injuries in the United States in 2006.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives were to provide national injury and health care cost estimates for youth motorcycle injuries in traffic and nontraffic settings and to focus on the burden of serious motorcycle-related traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in children and young adults.

METHODS

The 2006 Kids' Inpatient Database is a sample of inpatient discharges for US patients <21 years of age from 38 states. This cross-sectional analysis of the 2006 Kids' Inpatient Database included comparisons of TBI versus non-TBI and traffic versus nontraffic motorcycle-related crashes for ages 12 to 20, with national estimates of hospital charges and costs, length of stay, severity, and long-term disability rates.

RESULTS

Motorcycle-related crashes accounted for 5662 discharges (95% confidence interval: 5201-6122 discharges), which amounts to 3% of injury hospitalizations among youths and 5% of TBI diagnoses; two-thirds of cases were traffic-related, and one-third of patients sustained a TBI (1793 patients [95% confidence interval: 1631-1955 patients]). Among patients with TBIs, the overall probability of long-term disability was 24%. Patients with TBIs were 3.6 times more likely to be discharged to a rehabilitation facility and >10 times more likely to die in the hospital than were patients without TBIs.

CONCLUSIONS

Motorcycle injuries are a substantial cause of youth injury hospitalizations. The large proportion, costs, and morbidity of TBI diagnoses in youth motorcycle crashes emphasize the need for effective crash prevention and head protection.