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Updated: Jul 21, 2026
Lower Limb Biomechanical Analysis of Healthy Participants
Published on: April 15, 2020
The Prevalence of Pediatric Lower Limb Fractures Following Motor Vehicle Accidents at King Abdullah Specialist
Abdulmajeed S Almansouf1, Omar Khalid Alkhanbashi1, Sultan Alsumairi1
1Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, College of Medicine, Riyadh, SAU.
Insights
Motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) account for 7.3% of pediatric lower limb fractures, with males aged 10-14 most affected. Femur fractures were most common, often requiring surgery.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Orthopedics
- Trauma Surgery
- Public Health
Background:
- Pediatric injuries are a significant concern, with children comprising up to 25% of emergency room visits.
- Children experience fractures at nearly twice the rate of adults, with males being more susceptible.
- Lower limb fractures in children pose a risk of permanent harm.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of motor vehicle accident (MVA)-related lower limb fractures in pediatric patients.
- To identify demographic and injury characteristics associated with these fractures.
- To inform public health initiatives for injury prevention.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study of 203 pediatric patients meeting inclusion criteria.
- Data collected from King Abdullah Specialist Children's Hospital (KASCH) electronic records.
- Non-probability purposive sampling and SPSS statistical analysis.
Main Results:
- Motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) accounted for 7.3% of pediatric lower limb fractures.
- The most affected age group was 10-14 years (48.3%), with a male predominance (72.4%).
- Femoral fractures were most common (31.5%), with pedestrian incidents being a frequent cause of multiple fractures.
Conclusions:
- MVAs represent a notable cause of lower limb fractures in children presenting to KASCH.
- Adolescent males are particularly vulnerable to these injuries.
- Surgical intervention was required in over half of the cases, highlighting the severity of these fractures.
Abstract:
Background Pediatric injuries are a very common and serious issue that may result in permanent harm. Regardless of the etiology of the injury, children represent up to 25% of all cases visiting the emergency room. Children suffer nearly twice as many fractures as adults, with males being more vulnerable to this type of injury. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted among 2777 patients, and a total of 203 patients who fit the inclusion criteria were included. Data were collected using the electronic system at King Abdullah Specialist Children's Hospital (KASCH). Participants were selected by a non-probability purposive sampling method and data analysis was carried out using the SPSS program. Results The prevalence of motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) related to lower limb fractures was estimated to be 7.3%. The patients had an average mean age of 8.6±4 years, with 10-14 years being the most common age group affected (48.3%) with male predominance (72.4%). Furthermore, femoral fractures were the most commonly identified type (31.5%), and a pedestrian was the most common mechanism of multiple lower limb fractures. Additionally, the highest reported mechanism of injury of lower limb fractures was MVAs. Moreover, the current study shows that most of those patients were treated surgically (55.1%). Conclusion Conclusively, our cohort estimated that the prevalence is 7.3% of MVAs-related lower limb fractures among all children presented to the KASCH Emergency Department. Our study showed that children who were 10-14 years of age were the most affected. There is a male over female predominance. A femur was the most common bone to be affected. Lastly, further safety awareness programs and campaigns are important to be initiated by governmental authorities.
