Fall-Related Extremity Injuries During a Severe Snowfall and Icing Episode in Diyarbakır, Türkiye: Injury Patterns, Treatment Characteristics, and Need for Surgery in the Emergency Department
Medicina (Lithuania), cilt.62, sa.6, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 62 Sayı: 6
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.3390/medicina62061152
- Dergi Adı: Medicina (Lithuania)
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Directory of Open Access Journals, Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: emergency department, extremity trauma, fall-related injury, icing, operative treatment, snowfall
- Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Background and Objectives: Severe snowfall and icing are associated with weather-related trauma presentations, especially in cities unaccustomed to prolonged winter conditions. However, the clinical characteristics of these injuries and their implications for surgical management remain incompletely understood. This study aimed to describe injury patterns, treatment approaches, and factors associated with the need for surgery among patients presenting with extremity trauma during an intense snowfall and icing episode in Diyarbakır. Materials and Methods: This single-center retrospective observational study included patients presenting to the emergency department with extremity trauma during a severe snowfall and icing period. Demographic characteristics, injury features, imaging modality, ambient temperature, anatomical localization, and treatment approaches were analyzed. Patients were categorized according to nonoperative versus operative management. Factors associated with the need for surgery were evaluated using univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to assess the discriminative ability of age and ambient temperature for predicting the need for surgery. Results: A total of 943 patients were included. The largest age group was 18–44 years (38.6%), and 55.9% were male. Fractures were identified in 50.7% of cases, whereas 46.7% had no fracture and 2.7% had joint dislocation. Upper-extremity injuries predominated (65.2%), with distal segment involvement observed in 55.0% of cases. Most presentations occurred on days with mean ambient temperatures ≤ 0 °C (81.5%). Overall, 82.1% of patients were managed nonoperatively, while 17.9% required surgical treatment. In multivariable analysis, increasing age and the use of computed tomography were independently associated with the need for surgery, whereas ambient temperature was not. Conclusions: Fall-related extremity injuries during severe snowfall and icing were predominantly upper-extremity and distal injuries, and most were managed nonoperatively. The need for surgery was more strongly associated with patient age and injury complexity than with ambient temperature alone. These findings describe a distinct trauma profile during short-term winter events in mild-climate cities.