RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To study the epidemiological factors and pattern of impact and injuries in victims of road traffic crashes visiting the emergency room of an urban teaching hospital in Kathmandu. DESIGN: Retrospective observational study. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Review of medical records of all the victims of road traffic crashes of one year. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Victims of road traffic crashes formed 6.2% of all emergency attendees of the hospital. Two thirds of the victims came between midday and midnight. The most vulnerable age group to get involved in the crashes was the 15 to 45 year group, which is also the working age group. Pedestrians constitute approximately 40.0% of the victims. Most of the injuries occurred in the lower extremities. Most impacts were seen in upper and lower extremities or in head/face region. The non fatal nature of injuries can be attributed to the low velocity at which crashes might have occurred.
