Citation

Born CT, Ross SE, Aron B, DeLong WG, Iannacone WM. J. Trauma 1996; 40(4): 636-639.

Affiliation

Southern New Jersey Regional Trauma Center, Cooper Hospital/University Medical Center, Camden 08103, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1996, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

8614046

Abstract

Over a 7-year period, 34 patients were treated at the Southern New Jersey Regional Trauma Center for forklift-related injuries, ranging from minor contusions to multiple organ-system trauma. Hospital and rehabilitation courses were prospectively evaluated, documenting long term impairment of function and disability. Patients injured by falling from forklifts generally had less severe injuries, requiring fewer surgical procedures, shorter hospital stays, and less overall disability, than patients who received crush-type (object-oriented) injuries. The more serious injuries were most frequently caused by a forklift striking or running over the patient. There were strong correlations between the Injury Severity Score assessed upon initial evaluation and subsequent length of hospitalization, degree of disability, and extent of functional impairment after recovery. These findings support the enforcement of existing safety precautions for the operation of forklift trucks.