Analysis of the Factors that Influence the Severity of Injury of Pedestrian Traffic Accident Patients in an Emergency Department

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Pedestrian traffic accident (TA) deaths account for 40% of Korea's annual TA fatalities. With that in mind, we reviewed the cases of traumatic pedestrian TA patients admitted to emergency medical centers in Korea. We analysed factors affecting the severity of injury in order to investigate risk factors for subsequent traumatic threats. METHODS: Prospective methods were applied using a prepared trauma recording format. Trauma records included patient factors (age, gender, occupation, underlying disease), accident factors (time of accident, weather conditions, transportation time, vehicle type causing the accident, influence of alcoholic on both drivers and victims, accident location), and other factors (means of initial hospital admittance transportation). We reviewed medical records to obtain data for vital signs, Glasgow coma scale (GCS), abbreviated injury scale (AIS), injury severity score (ISS), and trauma and injury severity score (TRISS). We divided subjects into 3 groups according to their ISS scores: mild (1-8 points), moderate (9-15 points), severe (>==16 points). These groups were compared with each other regarding degree of severity? RESULTS: We analyzed data for 23,392 traumatized patients that presented at an EMC. Of the 23,392, 252 (3.1%) were pedestrian TA patients. Among this pedestrian cohort, males 156 patients (male 61.9% and female 38.1%; p=0.332). Mean age was 43.1 (+/-19.9). Severity was greater in those over 40 years of age compared those under 40 (p=0.000). Farmer's had the greatest severity than patients in other occupations (p=0.004). Those with an underlying disease showed a higher degree of severity (p=0.028). The most common accident site was city roads (85.7%) but the degree of severity at such sites did not was not significantly greater (p=0.052). Sports utility vehicle (SUV) had the highest rate of accident severity (p=0.004). Cases involving drunken drivers had victims with higher severity (p=0.005). CONCLUSION: Factors that increase the rate of fatalities pedestrian TAs are: older age, underlying illness, working in the agricultural sector, driving an SUV, the patient being in a drunken state.