Time for a break: admissions to an urban emergency department after working out--a retrospective study from Switzerland.

Abstract

Background. The present retrospective study was intended to investigate whether working out and other low-speed sports can provoke cardiovascular, neurological, or traumatic damage. Material and Methods. Patient data from 2007 to 2013 was collected and saved at the university department of emergency medicine in an electronic patient record database. Results. Of the 138 patients included in this study, 83.3% (n = 115) were male and 16.7% female (n = 23). Most admissions were due to musculoskeletal accidents (n = 77; 55.8%), followed by neurological incidents (n = 23; 16.7%), cardiovascular incidents (n = 19; 13.8%), soft tissue injuries (n = 3; 2.2%), and others (n = 16; 11.6%). The mean age of the allover injured people was 36.7 years. The majority of the patients (n = 113; 81.9%) were treated as outpatients; 24 (17.4%) were inpatients. Discussion. In Switzerland, this is the first study that describes emergency department admissions after workout and examines trauma and neurological and cardiovascular incidents. As specific injuries, such as brain haemorrhages, STEMIs, and epileptic seizures, were relatively frequent, it was hypothesised that workout with its physiological changes may be an actual trigger for these injuries, at least for a specific population. Conclusion. Strenuous physical activity may trigger the risk of cardiovascular, neurological, or trauma events.