TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2020//
TI  - Road traffic injuries in a Nigerian referral trauma center: characteristics, correlates, and outcomes
JO  - International journal of critical illness and injury science
A1  - Onyemaechi, Ndubuisi O.
SP  - 64
EP  - 69
VL  - 10
IS  - 2
N2  - BACKGROUND: Globally, road traffic injuries (RTIs) are a leading cause of disability and trauma-related deaths. We aimed to describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics and outcomes of RTIs in our environment to provide the evidence for effective control measures.     Methods: This was a 1-year retrospective study of all patients with RTIs treated at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu, Nigeria.     Results: Four hundred and twenty-one patients with 484 injuries were studied. The mean age of the patients was 34.4 ± 14.6 years, and the male-to-female ratio was 3.3:1. Most of the injuries occurred on intercity roads/highways (48.7%) and involved motorcycle crashes (31%). Soft-tissue injuries (27.7%) and fractures (21.9%) were the most common types of injuries. The lower extremities were the most common sites of injury. The mean injury-arrival interval was 23.2 ± 2.4 h. The injury severity score (ISS) ranged from 1 to 50, with a mean of 9.2 ± 2.9. The 1-year mortality rate was 10.7%. Traumatic brain injury, open vehicular injuries, and increased ISS were the potential risk factors for mortality.     Conclusion: Soft-tissue injuries and fractures were the most common types of injuries. The majority of the injuries occurred on the inter-city roads and highways and involved head-on-collisions with motorcycles. The young male adults were the most commonly affected age group.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 2229-5151
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/IJCIIS.IJCIIS_18_19
ID  - ref1
ER  -