Citation

Pascual-Marrero A, Ramos-Meléndez EO, García-Rodríguez O, Morales-Quiñones JE, Rodríguez-Ortiz P. Int. J. Inj. Control Safe. Promot. 2018; 25(1): 14-22.

Affiliation

Puerto Rico Trauma Hospital , San Juan , Puerto Rico.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/17457300.2017.1310738

PMID

28417686

Abstract

This study aimed to describe the distribution of injury mechanisms and to assess the impact of those mechanisms on the morbidity and mortality of trauma. All patients admitted to Puerto Rico Trauma Hospital (2002-2011) for road-traffic collisions (RTCs, 5,371), gunshot wounds (GSWs, 2,946), falls (2,319), pedestrian accidents (1,652), and stab wounds (SWs, 1,073) were selected. Gunshot victims were 1.19 (95%CI: 1.07-1.33) times as likely as road-traffic victims to have an ISS ≥25. Pedestrians were 1.76 (95%CI: 1.49-2.09) times more likely to have a GCS ≤8 than road-traffic victims were. The risk of dying was 2.64 (95%CI: 2.20-3.16) times higher for gunshot victims and 1.51 (95%CI: 1.23-1.86) times higher for pedestrians compared to patients who had had RTCs. Gunshot victims and pedestrians had the worst clinical outcomes. Accordingly, these patients should receive the most aggressive clinical management. Furthermore, it is imperative to develop public health campaigns on trauma prevention.

Language: en

Keywords

injury mechanisms; trauma epidemiology; trauma morbidity; trauma mortality