Background
The Snowdonia mountain range in North-West Wales (United Kingdom) attracts millions of visitors each year.
Objective
This retrospective study examined the characteristics of mountain casualties brought to the local emergency department (ED) in Bangor, having been rescued by the local Mountain Rescue Teams (MRT) or the hoist-equipped Royal Air Force Search and Rescue (RAF SAR) helicopter.
Methods
Mountain rescues (including from coastal cliffs) resulting in attendance at our ED over an 8-year period (January 2004 to December 2011) were identified using MRT and SAR records. The resulting data were cross-referenced with ED records.
Results
In all, 789 casualties were rescued during the study period. Both prehospital and hospital records from all applicable sources were available for 60%, with full ED records available for 94%. Involvement of the SAR helicopter was documented in 569 cases (72%), and of MRT in 733 cases (93%). There were 70 fatalities, including 5 pediatric fatalities. More than a third were attributed to medical causes. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of all casualties and 93% of fatalities were male. Eighty-seven casualties (11%) were under age 18; one-third of casualties were aged 28 years or less, one-third were aged 29 to 49 years, and the remainder were aged 50 years or less. The 2 youngest casualties were both aged 3 years, and the oldest was 86 years. More than two-thirds of the casualties had been hill walking. Most of the remainder were rock climbing (11%) or scrambling (7%). Overall, only 19% of casualties were medical in nature, whereas the vast majority were the result of trauma. Of the injuries, more than half (55%) were lower limb injuries.
Conclusions
Nearly 100 patients each year, of all ages, are managed in our ED after being assisted by our MRT and SAR colleagues. Most are hill walkers, and the majority are injured rather than ill, but nearly one-fifth of mountain casualties present with medical problems.