Citation

Orsay EM, Muelleman RL, Peterson TD, Jurisic DH, Kosasih JB, Levy P. Ann. Emerg. Med. 1994; 23(4): 802-806.

Affiliation

University of Illinois, Chicago.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, American College of Emergency Physicians, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

8161050

Abstract

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between spinal injuries and helmet use in motorcycle trauma. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. SETTING: Twenty-eight hospitals in four midwestern states--Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska and Wisconsin--representing urban, suburban, and rural settings. PATIENTS AND OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Consecutive sample of motorcyclists treated at the participating centers. INTERVENTIONS: None. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The major variables evaluated were helmet use, ethanol use, and significant head or spinal injuries. RESULTS: 1,153 cases were analyzed. Helmet use was not significantly associated with spinal injuries (odds ratio, 1.12; 95% confidence intervals, 0.79, 1.58) whereas head injury was markedly decreased with helmet use (odds ratio, 0.35; 95% confidence intervals, 0.23, 0.53). Ethanol use was a significant variable in both head (odds ratio, 3.89) and spinal (odds ratio, 2.41) injuries. CONCLUSION: In contrast to a significant protective relationship identified for head injuries, helmet use was not associated with an increased or decreased occurrence rate of spinal injuries in motorcycle trauma.