@article{ref1,
title="A prospective observational analysis of ambulation after motor vehicle collisions",
journal="Prehospital and disaster medicine",
year="2013",
author="Merlin, Mark A. and Ciccosanti, Colleen and Saybolt, Matthew D. and Bockoff, Olivia and Mazzei, Michael and Shiroff, Adam",
volume="28",
number="1",
pages="76-78",
abstract="OBJECTIVES: Predicting injury patterns of patients based only on mechanism of injury is difficult and is well described in the literature. Characteristics of patients on-scene immediately following injury(ies) may lead to predicting injury patterns. Although reported frequently, the significance of victim ambulation after a motor vehicle crash is poorly understood. It was hypothesized that ambulation at the scene is not predictive of injury severity following a motor vehicle crash (MVC). METHODS: A prospective, cohort study of 117 consecutive injured patients who were ambulatory after MVCs were enrolled. Paramedics in a large urban Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system were mandated to document &quot;ambulatory&quot; or &quot;nonambulatory&quot; for motor vehicle collisions in order to complete their prehospital electronic medical records. This assured accuracy and completeness in the data collection. All charts were abstracted for trauma-induced injury and imaging results. RESULTS: A total of 608 (10.9%) persons were ambulatory at the scene, of which 284 had an injury pattern documented in the prehospital or emergency department record. The average age was 35.9 (SD = 16.8) years, and 158 (55.6%) were male. A total of 707 injuries were identified in the 284 patients who had sustained injuries. CONCLUSIONS: Ambulation after motor vehicle collisions appears to be only infrequently associated with major injuries, although this population still may present with significant injuries. A larger, prospective study is warranted. Merlin MA , Ciccosanti C , Saybolt MD , Bockoff O , Mazzei M , Shiroff A . A prospective observational analysis of ambulation after motor vehicle collisions. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2013;28(1):1-3.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1049-023X",
doi="10.1017/S1049023X12001501",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1049023X12001501"
}