Football Equipment Design Affects Face Mask Removal Efficiency

Swartz, Erik E.; Norkus, Susan A.; Cappaert, Tom; Decoster, Laura C.

doi:10.1177/0363546504271753

Cited by 33 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…The participants knelt and positioned themselves with the helmet between their knees to stabilize the model's head and minimize motion of the helmet and cervical spine during the FMR trial. As other investigators have, 10,14,16,17 we selected this position to simulate the worstcase scenario of a single rescuer simultaneously stabilizing the head and removing the facemask.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…10 Several investigators [10][11][12] also have examined the effect of grip strength and participant sex on the time necessary to remove a football facemask using different removal methods with varying results. Exploring the effects of sex and grip strength on speed and ease of using different FMR methods on lacrosse helmets is important to ensure prompt care for the catastrophically injured lacrosse athlete.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Lacrosse Helmet Facemask Removal

Bradney

Bowman²

2013

Journal of Athletic Training

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Context: Facemask removal (FMR) is required to access the airway of a catastrophically injured football or ice hockey athlete. However, the best method of caring for the helmeted lacrosse athlete with suspected catastrophic injury remains unclear.Objective: To evaluate the effects of sex and grip strength on the speed and ease of use of various FMR methods across different lacrosse helmet types.Design: Cross-sectional study. Conclusions: Based on our results, FMR of lacrosse helmets should be attempted with a CSD. We recommend carrying a pruner as a backup cutting tool in case the CSD fails, practicing FMR regularly, and inspecting helmets for faulty hardware to reduce the chance of CSD failure.Key Words: emergency care, catastrophic injury, cervical spine Key PointsParticipants removed the facemasks of 5 different types of lacrosse helmets with a cordless screwdriver (CSD), which was fastest with helmets that do not require a cutting step, and reported this method was easier to use than the Face Mask Extractor 2, pruner, and Trainer's Angel. Grip strength and FMR times were strongly associated for the 3 techniques using cutting methods but not for the CSD. Facemask removal on lacrosse helmets should be attempted first with a CSD and second with a pruner if screw removal fails. Athletic trainers should practice regularly, be prepared to perform FMR on various types of helmets, and perform FMR using the tool with which they are most comfortable.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Lacrosse Helmet Facemask Removal

Bradney

Bowman²

2013

Journal of Athletic Training

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“…Clearly, the superior face-mask design that allowed the greatest removal speed in our study was the ION 4D helmet, taking only around 20 seconds for complete removal. Whereas it took more than 10 seconds longer on average to remove the Riddell 360 helmet, the times for face-mask removal using quick-release technology in this helmet were improved dramatically over times reported for removal with a cordless screwdriver 9,11 or when cutting a loop strap is required. 14 Helmet manufacturers should consider incorporating full quick-release face-mask designs into any helmets that do not possess the technology and should design all future helmets with this feature.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

“…8,9,11 Using an a level of .05 and power of 0.8, we determined that a sample of 24 participants (12 pairs) would be needed to demonstrate a large effect. Given that we were exploring equipment that had not been studied, we recruited a conservative sample of 40 participants (20 pairs; 21 men, 19 women; age ¼ 33.7 6 11.2 years, height ¼ 173.1 6 9.2 cm, mass ¼ 80.7 6 17.1 kg, professional AT experience ¼ 10.6 6 10.4 years), and 100% of participants completed the study.…”

Section: Participantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A digital stopwatch (Bodytronics 100; TKO Enterprises, Fayetteville, GA) was used to time each trial, and participants reported difficulty associated with each trial using a modified Borg CR-10 scale, which has been used in similar investigations. 8,11 Protocol Participants reported in pairs to the biomechanics laboratory at our institution. They completed a healthhistory questionnaire and informed consent form, and we determined eligibility and recorded participant demographics.…”

Section: Instrumentationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Emergent Access to the Airway and Chest in American Football Players

Swartz

Mihalik

Decoster³

et al. 2015

Journal of Athletic Training

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Context: American football has the highest rate of fatalities and catastrophic injuries of any US sport. The equipment designed to protect athletes from these catastrophic events challenges the ability of medical personnel to obtain neutral spine alignment and immobilization during airway and chest access for emergency life-support delivery.Objective: To compare motion, time, and difficulty during removal of American football helmets, face masks, and shoulder pads.Design: Quasi-experimental, crossover study. Setting: Controlled laboratory. Patients or Other Participants: We recruited 40 athletic trainers (21 men, 19 women; age ¼ 33.7 6 11.2 years, height ¼ 173.1 6 9.2 cm, mass ¼ 80.7 6 17.1 kg, experience ¼ 10.6 6 10.4 years).Intervention(s): Paired participants conducted 16 trials in random order for each of 4 helmet, face-mask, and shoulder-pad combinations. An 8-camera, 3-dimensional motion-capture system was used to record head motion in live models wearing properly fitted helmets and shoulder pads.Main Outcome Measure(s): Time and perceived difficulty (modified Borg CR-10).Results: Helmet removal resulted in greater motion than face-mask removal, respectively, in the sagittal (14.888, 95% Conclusions: Protective equipment worn by American football players must eventually be removed for imaging and medical treatment. Our results fill a gap in the evidence to support current recommendations for prehospital emergent management in patients wearing protective football equipment. Helmet face masks and shoulder pads with quick-release designs allow for clinically acceptable removal times without inducing additional motion or difficulty.Key Words: cervical spine injury, sudden cardiac event, protective equipment Key PointsFace-mask removal induced less motion than helmet removal when accessing the airway. Helmet face masks and shoulder pads with quick-release designs allowed for clinically acceptable removal times without inducing additional motion or difficulty. The actual ability to effectively ventilate a patient with a helmet on and face mask removed was not studied and has not been established in the literature.

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