Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gvvz8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T10:55:05.406Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

An Overview of Chicago (Illinois USA) Marathon Prehospital Care Demographics, Patient Care Operations, and Injury Patterns

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 June 2019

Jennifer Lisa Chan ,
Valentino Constantinou ,
Jennifer Fokas ,
Sarah Van Deusen Phillips  and
George Chiampas
Jennifer Lisa Chan*
Affiliation:
Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Valentino Constantinou
Affiliation:
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, USA
Jennifer Fokas
Affiliation:
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
Sarah Van Deusen Phillips
Affiliation:
Chicago Event Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
George Chiampas
Affiliation:
Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA
*
Correspondence: Jennifer L. Chan, MD, MPH, FACEP Department of Emergency Medicine Northwestern Memorial Hospital/Northwestern University Chicago, Illinois, USA E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Introduction:

Large-scale mass-sporting events are increasingly requiring greater prehospital event planning and preparation to address inherent event-associated medical conditions in addition to incidents that may be unexpected. The Bank of America Chicago Marathon (Chicago, Illinois USA) is one of the largest marathons in the world, and with the improvement of technology, the use of historical patient and event data, in conjunction with environmental conditions, can provide organizers and public safety officials a way to plan based on injury patterns and patient demands for care by predicting the placement and timing of needed medical support and resources.

Problem:

During large-scale events, disaster planning and preparedness between event organizers, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and local, state, and federal agencies is critical to ensure participant and public safety.

Methods:

This study looked at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, a significant endurance event, and took a unique approach of reviewing digital runner data retrospectively over a five-year period to establish patterns of medical demand geographically, temporally, and by the presenting diagnoses. Most medical complaints were musculoskeletal in nature; however, there were life-threatening conditions such as hyperthermia and cardiac incidents that highlight the need for detailed planning, coordination, and communication to ensure a safe and secure event.

Conclusions:

The Chicago Marathon is one of the largest marathons in the world, and this study identified an equal number of participants requiring care on-course and at the finish line. Most medical complaints were musculoskeletal in nature; however, there were life-threatening conditions such as hyperthermia and cardiac incidents that highlight the need for detailed planning, multi-disciplined coordination, and communication to ensure a safe and secure event. As technology has evolved, the use, analysis, and implementation of historical digital data with various environmental conditions can provide organizers and public safety officials a map to plan injury patterns and patient demands by predicting the placement and timing of needed medical support, personnel, and resources.

Keywords

athletic injuriesEmergency Medical Servicesinformation systemsprehospital emergency carerunningsports medicine
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 34 , Issue 3 , June 2019 , pp. 308 - 316
Copyright
© World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2019 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Chang, WL, Shih, YF, Chen, WY. Running injuries and associated factors in participants of ING Taipei Marathon. Phys Ther Sport. 2012;13(3):170–174.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2016 Running USA Annual Marathon Report. Running USA. 2016.Google Scholar
Locoh-Donou, S, Guofen, Y, Welcher, M, Berry, T, O’Connor, RE, Brady, WJ. Mass-gathering medicine: a descriptive analysis of a range of mass-gathering event types. Am J Emerg Med. 2013;31(5):843–846.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tan, CM, Tan, IW, Kok, WL, Lee, MC, Lee, VJ. Medical planning for mass-participation running events: a 3-year review of a half-marathon in Singapore. BMC Public Health. 2014;14(1107):1–7.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nguyen, RB, Milsten, AM, Cushman, JT. Injury patterns and levels of care at a marathon. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2008;23(6):7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chiampas, G, Jaworski, CA. Preparing for the surge: perspectives on marathon medical preparedness. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2009;8(3):131–135.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jena, AB, Mann, NC, Wedlund, LN, Olenski, A. Delays in emergency care and mortality during major U.S. marathons. N Engl J Med. 2017;376(15):1441–1450.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brunko, M. Emergency physicians and special events. J Emerg Med. 1989;7(4):405–406.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
De Lorenzo, RA. Mass gathering medicine: a review. Prehosp Disaster Med. 1997;12(1):68–72.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boyle, MF, De Lorenzo, RA, Garrison, R. Physician integration into mass gathering medical care. Prehosp Disaster Med. 1993;8(2):165–168.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Arbon, P, Bridgewater, FHG, Smith, C. Mass gathering medicine: a predictive model for patient presentation and transport rates. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2001;16(3): 150–158.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Edwards, M. Airshow disaster plans. Aviat Sp Environ Med. 1991;62(12): 1192–1195.Google ScholarPubMed
Vukmir, RaB, Paris, PM. The Three Rivers Regatta accident: an EMS perspective. Am J Emerg Med. 1991;9(1):64–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hnatow, DA, Gordon, DJ. Medical planning for mass gatherings: a retrospective review of the San Antonio Papal Mass. Prehosp Disaster Med. 1991;6(4): 443–450.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCarthy, DM, Chiampas, GT, Malik, S, Cole, K, Lindeman, P, Adams, JG. Enhancing community disaster resilience through mass sporting events. Disaster Med Public Health Prep. 2011;5(4):310–315.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Satterthwaite, P, Larmer, P, Gardiner, J, Norton, R. Incidence of injuries and other health problems in the Auckland Citibank marathon, 1993. Br J Sports Med. 1996;30(4):324–326.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Roberts, WO. A 12-yr profile of medical injury and illness for the Twin Cities marathon. Med Sci Sport Exerc. 2000;32(9):1549–1555.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yeung, SS, Yeung, EW, Wong, TW. Provision of physiotherapy at the Tsing Ma Bridge international marathon and 10 km race in Hong Kong. Br J Sport Med. 1998;32: 336–337.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Robertson, B, Nicholl, JP, Williams, BT, Rossi, A. Popular marathons: forecasting casualties. Br Med Journal Clinical Res Ed. 1983;286:286105215.Google Scholar
Bank of America, Chicago Marathon: 29 Neighborhoods. Chicagomarathon.com.Google Scholar
Basdere, M, Ross, C, Chan, JL, Mehrotra, S, Smilowitz, K, Chiampas, G. Acute incident rapid response at a mass-gathering event through comprehensive planning systems: a case report from the 2013 Shamrock Shuffle. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2014;29(3):320–325.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crouse, B, Beattie, K. Marathon medical services: strategies to reduce runner morbidity. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1996;28(9):1093–1096.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tang, N, Kraus, CK, Brill, JD, Shahan, JB, Ness, C, Scheulen, JJ. Hospital-based event medical support for the Baltimore Marathon, 2002–2005. Prehospital Emerg Care. 2008;12(3):320–326.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Turris, SA, Lund, A, Mui, J, Wang, P, Lewis, K, Gutman, SJ. An organized medical response for the Vancouver International Marathon (2006-2011). Curr Sports Med Rep. 2014;13(3):147–154.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lopes, AD, Hespanhol Junior, LC, Yeung, SS, Oliveira Pena Costa, L. What are the main running-related musculoskeletal injuries? A systematic review. Sport Med. 2012;42(10):891–905.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Supplementary material: PDF

Chan et al. supplementary material

Chan et al. supplementary material 1

Download Chan et al. supplementary material(PDF)
PDF 1.5 MB
Supplementary material: Image

Chan et al. supplementary material

Figure S1
Download Chan et al. supplementary material(Image)
Image 2.1 MB