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First published on May 18, 2004, doi:10.1177/0363546503262161
This version was published on July 1, 2004
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The American Journal of Sports Medicine 32:1189-1196 (2004)
© 2004 American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine

Catastrophic Injuries in High School and College Baseball Players

Barry P. Boden, MD*,{dagger}, Robin Tacchetti, MS, PT{dagger} and Fred O. Mueller, PhD{ddagger}

From {dagger} The Orthopaedic Center, Rockville, Maryland, and the {ddagger} University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

* Address correspondence to Barry P. Boden, MD, The Orthopaedic Center, 9711 Medical Center Drive, #201, Rockville, MD 20850 (e-mail: BBoden{at}earthlink.net).

Background: There are few epidemiologic studies of catastrophic baseball injuries.

Purpose: To develop a profile of catastrophic injuries in baseball players and to describe relevant risk factors.

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Methods: The authors reviewed 41 incidents of baseball injuries reported to the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research from 1982 until 2002.

Results: There were an estimated 1.95 direct catastrophic injuries per year, or 0.43 injuries per 100,000 participants. The most common mechanisms of injury were a collision of fielders (9) or of a base runner and a fielder (8), a pitcher hit by a batted ball (14), and an athlete hit by a thrown ball (4). Catastrophic injuries included 23 severe head injuries, 8 cervical injuries, 3 cases of commotio cordis, and 2 cases each of a collapsed trachea and facial fractures. Three athletes sustained a severe head injury and facial fractures. Ten of the 41 injuries were fatalities.

Conclusions: Suggestions for reducing catastrophic injuries in baseball include teaching proper techniques to avoid fielding and baserunning collisions, protecting the pitcher via a combination of screens and/or helmets with faceguards, continued surveillance and modifications of the bat and ball, eliminating headfirst slides, and continued analysis of chest protectors and automatic external defibrillators for commotio cordis.

Key Words: baseball • head and neck injuries




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