Audit of Motor Vehicle Accidents at a Trauma Center

Shaurav Ghosh1, Farah Naaz Kazi2, J V Pranav Sharma1

  • 1General Surgery, Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Bangalore, IND.

Cureus
|April 4, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) are a major cause of death in India. This study found obese individuals with MVAs had similar injury patterns but longer hospital stays, despite a lower injury severity score.

Area of Science:

  • Trauma surgery
  • Public health
  • Emergency medicine

Background:

  • Motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) are the leading cause of accidental deaths in India.
  • Auditing trauma cases is crucial for improving hospital policies, patient care, and healthcare staff perspectives.
  • Tertiary trauma centers play a vital role in managing MVA victims.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To audit MVA trauma cases admitted to a tertiary trauma care center.
  • To analyze patient demographics, injury patterns, and treatment approaches.
  • To investigate the correlation of body mass index (BMI) and comorbidities with trauma outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective observational study of MVA trauma victims.
  • Analysis of parameters including age, gender, length of hospital stay (LOS), injury location, and treatment (nonoperative vs. operative).
  • Investigation of BMI, comorbidities, whole-body CT scans (WBCT), readmissions, and blood transfusion requirements.

Main Results:

  • Young male adults were the majority of MVA patients; females had a longer LOS.
  • Head injuries were most common (62.3%), predominantly in males who also required more surgeries.
  • Obesity and BMI were not associated with trauma outcomes or injury severity score (ISS), but obese patients had longer hospital stays.

Conclusions:

  • Obese patients sustaining MVAs exhibit similar injury regions as normal-weight individuals.
  • Despite a lower ISS, obese patients experienced a lengthier in-hospital stay.
  • Further research may be needed to understand the implications of obesity in MVA trauma management.