Epidemiology of Adult Trauma at a Tertiary Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Objective: To identify the type and mechanism of trauma-based on patients’ characteristics at a tertiary hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: The study was a retrospective cohort observational study using the Trauma Registry of King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The study period was from January 2015 to December 2018. The data gathered were demographic information, mortality, type and mechanism of injury, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Injury Severity Score (ISS) and the Triage Revised Trauma Scale (T-RTS). Categorical data are described with percentage and frequency, and numerical data with mean and standard deviation. A Chi-square was used to assess the relationship between the type of trauma and patient characteristics. A Fisher exact test was used to compare the type of injury with the other variables. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 4083 participants. The majority were male (79.9%, n=3263). Blunt trauma was the most prevalent type of injury (87.4%, n=3570, p<0.001). A motor vehicle accident was the most prevalent mechanism of injury (42.1%, n=1717). The highest proportion of trauma per age group was in the 21-30 year age group (32.6%, n=1331). The lowest GCS and RTS mean scores were observed in blunt trauma (p<0.001 and 0.001 respectively). In addition, the highest ISS mean score was observed in the blunt trauma subgroup (p<0.001). Conclusion: The study highlights the type and mechanism of trauma at KAMC in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, based on gender, age groups, types of trauma and mechanisms of injury. This data will be a valuable resource for the local healthcare system.

Accidentes de moto: costo médico/económico en un hospital municipal de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires / Motorcycles accidents: medical and economic cost at a public hospital in Buenos Aires City

A nivel mundial, los accidentes de tránsito aportan aproximadamente 1.25 millones de muertes anuales; es una de las principales causas de muerte en personas jóvenes y la primera entre los 15 y 29 años de edad. La tasa de accidentes aumentó en la última década, posiblemente debido al incremento del parque automotor y del uso de motocicletas. Se realizó un estudio retrospectivo descriptivo sobre los casos atendidos en el Hospital Carlos G. Durand, Buenos Aires (CABA), Argentina, desde enero de 2013 hasta diciembre de 2015, con el objetivo de representar el costo médico que estos generan en nuestro Hospital. De un total de 4368 pacientes atendidos en guardia, a causa de accidentes de tránsito, el 67% (2926 pacientes) fue provocado por motocicletas, de estos, el 18% requirió internación. Hubo predominio de varones y de lesiones en miembros inferiores. Las internaciones variaron entre 5 y 150 días, con 2.1 cirugías promedio por paciente. El gasto total del tratamiento fue de 16 767 037$, lo que en 2014 representaban unos 17 936 US$ por paciente. Estos resultados reflejan parcialmente el costo de dichos accidentes, ya que no se tiene en cuenta otros parámetros como la caída de días laborales; es por esto que se debe generar conciencia y crear políticas de prevención y educación vial más rigurosas, necesarias para poder evitar los accidentes que incrementan el gasto en afecciones evitables.

Traffic accidents cause 1.25 million deaths per year worldwide, being one of the leading causes of death in young people, and the first cause between the ages of 15 - 29. There has been an increase in accidents in the last 10 years, one of the reasons for this is the increase in the sales of motorcycles and its use. We present a retrospective study about the patients who received attention at Carlos G. Durand Hospital, (CABA, Buenos Aires , Argentina) from January 2013 to December of 2015, with the intention of showing the medical and economic impact this accidents cause. Of a total of 4368 incoming patients assisted, due to traffic accidents, 67% (2926) were the result of motorcycle crashes; 18% of them required hospitalization. Males, and lower limbs lesions were predominant. Hospitalizations varied between 5 and 150 days, with 2.1 average surgeries per patient. The total cost was 16 767 037$, and in 2014 it represented 17 936 US$ per patient. These results show only partially the impact these accidents produce, because there are factors (like missing working days) that were unaccounted for. This is why it is necessary to generate awareness and develop more rigorous road safety and prevention policies, necessary to avoid accidents that increase spending on preventable conditions.

Transtorno de estresse pós-traumático em vítimas de acidentes rodoviários graves: análise de fatores preditores / Posttraumatic stress disorder among serious motor vehicle accident victims: analysis of predictors

CONTEXTO: Os acidentes rodoviários são acontecimentos potencialmente traumáticos que podem originar transtornos psicológicos, designadamente transtorno de estresse pós-traumático (TEPT). Os estudos são controversos quanto ao poder preditivo da dissociação peritraumática e os sintomas de transtorno de estresse agudo (TEA) para predizer TEPT, mas referem que as mulheres reportam mais sintomas de transtorno pós-exposição traumática. OBJETIVO: Analisar o contributo da dissociação peritraumática, dos sintomas de TEA e do gênero para predizer TEPT quatro meses após o acidente. MÉTODO: Cento e vinte e quatro homens e mulheres, vítimas de acidentes graves, avaliados no hospital (t1) e reavaliados quatro meses depois (t2). RESULTADOS: Entre os participantes, 64,5% apresentam TEA (t1) e 58,9%, TEPT (t2). Os sintomas de dissociação peritraumática e TEA correlacionam-se positivamente com os sintomas de TEPT. As mulheres reportam mais dissociação peritraumática, TEA e TEPT. A dissociação peritraumática, o TEA e o gênero (feminino) explicam 26,8% da variância de TEPT, sendo o contributo do gênero marginalmente significativo. CONCLUSÕES: O número de vítimas com sintomas de TEPT após acidente grave é elevado e os sintomas peritraumáticos são preditores de TEPT, sugerindo a necessidade de considerar os sintomas iniciais na prevenção de transtorno posterior.

BACKGROUND: Motor vehicle accidents (MVA) are traumatic experiences that are related to psychological disorders as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Peritraumatic dissociation and acute stress disorder (ASD) have been studied as predictors of PTSD. Studies have also found that women report more psychological symptoms after traumatic experiences than do men. OBJECTIVE: Analyze the explanatory contribution of peritraumatic dissociative experiences, ASD symptoms and gender toward the subsequent development of PTSD. METHOD: One hundred twenty-four male and female victims of serious MVA were evaluated at the hospital (t1) and four months after the MVA (t2). Participants completed a peritraumatic dissociative experiences questionnaire (PDEQ) (t1), a questionnaire used to evaluate ASD (SASRQ) (t1) and a traumatic event scale (RTES) used to evaluate PTSD (t2). RESULTS: Of the studied population, 64.5% report ASD (t1) and 58.9% report PTSD (t2). Peritraumatic dissociation and ASD symptoms are positively correlated with PTSD symptoms. Females report more peritraumatic dissociation, ASD and PTSD than do males. Peritraumatic dissociation, ASD and gender (female) explain 26.8% of the observed variance in PTSD symptoms (t2), with gender contributing only marginally to the model. DISCUSSION: A high rate of MVA victims report PTSD, and peritraumatic responses predict the subsequent development of PTSD, suggesting the need to consider these predictors in methods for the prevention of psychopathology.

A study of blood alcohol levels among drunk drivers in mauritius and literature review.

This study was conducted to assess the trends of drunk driving offences in Mauritius, and the relationship with motor vehicle accidents. It is well known that driving under the influence of alcohol increases the risk of motor vehicle accidents. Data obtained from police road safety unit (1999–2001) and forensic science laboratory (1992–2000) were analyzed. More than 85% of drunk drivers had BAC above 0.08%. In 2003, the permissible blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit had been lowered from 0.08 to 0.05. This article provides a summary of the evidence regarding the benefits of reducing the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) for driving. Although moderate alcohol intake (20 grams ethanol; two standard drinks or less) may not violate BAC laws, it still carries significant risk of motor-vehicle accidents.