In 2017 1,932 children ages 16 and younger were treated at the Level I pediatric trauma center at University Hospital, a 15 percent increase from the 1,680 children treated the previous year.
The No. 1 cause of injuries to children at our trauma center was car crashes.
In 2017, 511 children were hurt in motor vehicle crashes — a big jump from
439 the previous year, and 244 the year before that. Over a five year period,
the number of children injured in car crashes and treated at University Hospital
increased by 173 percent.
Cars also injured 89 children who were playing in neighborhoods or walking
to school in 2017, an increase of 89 percent in the number of children treated
at our hospital over a five year period. University Health System’s injury
prevention team, including its Safe Kids San Antonio Coalition, worked to raise
awareness of this problem by teaching safe walking skills to kids at 32 area
schools, reaching more than 9,400 students. It was one of many programs
aimed at preventing motor vehicle-pedestrian injuries in our community.
Another 45 children were injured while riding their bikes, the largest number
in at least a decade. Over five years, that number is up 36 percent.
Falls, the No. 2 injury cause among children, rose from 396 in 2016 to 439
last year. In general, very young children are injured falling from beds and
couches, while older children are hurt falling from bicycles or trampolines, or
taking part in sports.
Seventy five children were bitten severely enough by animals to require care
in our trauma center, up from 63 the previous year. 2017 saw an increase in
the number of childhood burns treated at University Hospital at 347, up from
306 the previous year.
As San Antonio and surrounding communities continue to grow in
population, the number of injured patients treated at our trauma centers
will continue to rise. However, with a robust injury prevention program
housed within our Level I trauma center, it is our goal to decrease the rate of
preventable injuries in South Texas.