TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2018//
TI  - Impact of helmet use on traumatic brain injury from road traffic accidents in Cambodia
JO  - Traffic injury prevention
A1  - Gupta, Saksham
A1  - Klaric, Katherine
A1  - Sam, Nang
A1  - Din, Vuthy
A1  - Juschkewitz, Tina
A1  - Iv, Vycheth
A1  - Shrime, Mark G.
A1  - Park, Kee B.
SP  - 66
EP  - 70
VL  - 19
IS  - 1
N2  - OBJECTIVE: Rapid urbanization and motorization without corresponding increases in helmet usage have made traumatic brain injury due to road traffic accidents a major public health crisis in Cambodia. This analysis was conducted to quantify the impact of helmets on severity of injury, neurosurgical indication, and functional outcomes at discharge for motorcycle operators who required hospitalization for a traumatic brain injury following a road traffic accident in Cambodia. <br><br>METHODS: The medical records of 491 motorcycle operators who presented to a major tertiary care center in Cambodia with traumatic brain injury were retrospectively analyzed using multivariate logistic regression. <br><br>RESULTS: The most common injuries at presentation were contusions (47.0%), epidural hematomas (30.1%), subdural hematomas (27.9%), subarachnoid hemorrhages (12.4%), skull fractures (21.4%), and facial fractures (18.5%). Moderate-to-severe loss of consciousness was present in 36.3% of patients. Not wearing a helmet was associated with an odds ratio of 2.20 (95% CI 1.15-4.22) for presenting with moderate to severe loss of consciousness compared to helmeted patients. Craniotomy or craniectomy were indicated for evacuation of hematoma in 20.0% of cases, and non-helmeted patients had 3.21-fold higher odds of requiring neurosurgical intervention (95% CI 1.25-8.27). Furthermore, lack of helmet usage was associated with 2.72-fold higher odds of discharge with functional deficits (95% CI: 1.14-6.49). In total, 30.1% of patients were discharged with severe functional deficits. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Helmets demonstrate a protective effect and may be an effective public health intervention to significantly reduce the burden of traumatic brain injury in Cambodia and other developing countries with increasing rates of motorization across the world.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1538-9588
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2017.1342821
ID  - ref1
ER  -