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Abstract
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In 2016, we published data, which showed decrease in vehicle-related deaths between 1978 and 2013, possibly related to introduction of trauma centers and an increased focus on trauma systems. There have been over 1.5 million vehicle-related fatalities since the early 1980s, with a consistent approximate 50% prehospital.
The most recent data show that the death rates remains unabated over several years and that the percentage of prehospital deaths is identical in the face of increasing traffic deaths.
The source of these data is The Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) managed by the Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is arguably the most complete injury database for vehicle-related deaths in the world. It is close to census of US vehicle-related crash deaths and is meticulously maintained.
Good and comprehensive data on the cause of death prehospital are rare and are required to focus strategies and tactics on reducing scene, en route triage, and early in hospital mortality. Persons killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes provide a useful metric of emergency trauma care and traffic safety. The Fatality Analysis Reporting System provides a close to census data set of both prehospital and in hospital vehicle-related deaths by state and nationally, allowing for valid comparisons to be made between states, regions, nationally, and over time. As expected, the number of patients who died at the scene or en route (prehospital) varies from state to state based on geography and access to care. There are clearly targeted interventions, which require some details of the anatomic pathology and physiology associated with these early deaths. In the latter case, the database has some shortcomings, but some individual states have excellent capabilities for such studies...
Language: en |