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Updated: Jul 2, 2026
Controlled Cortical Impact Model for Traumatic Brain Injury
Published on: August 5, 2014
Comparison of Clinical Characteristics of Traumatic Brain Injury Patients According to the Mechanism Before and After
Jonghyun Sung1, Jongwook Choi2, Kum Whang3
1Department of Neurosurgery, Kangwon National University Hospital, Kangwon National University College of Medicine, Chuncheon, Korea.
Insights
The number of traumatic brain injury patients decreased by 32% during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cerebral contusions increased, indicating a shift in head trauma mechanisms during this period.
Area of Science:
- Trauma Surgery
- Emergency Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread social restrictions.
- Understanding the impact of these restrictions on trauma epidemiology is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate changes in head trauma cases and mechanisms during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- To compare trauma data from before (2018-2019) and during (2020-2021) the pandemic.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of medical records for severely injured patients.
- Analysis of patient demographics, trauma mechanisms, and injury severity scores.
- Comparison of data from pre-pandemic and pandemic periods.
Main Results:
- A 32% decrease in traumatic brain injury patients during the pandemic.
- No significant changes in patient sex, age, or accident time.
- An increase in cerebral contusions among intracranial lesions.
- A slight reduction in rolling-down trauma mechanisms.
Conclusions:
- The COVID-19 pandemic altered the landscape of head trauma presentation.
- Cerebral contusions became more prevalent, suggesting a change in injury patterns.
- Longer-term studies are needed to fully understand these evolving clinical characteristics.
Objective:
This study investigated the change in the number of patients with head trauma according to the trauma mechanism among severely injured patients transferred to the emergency department of Wonju Severance Christian Hospital before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Methods:
Medical records (sex, age, diagnosis, trauma mechanism, and injury severity score) of patients referred to the emergency room between January 2018 and December 2019 and January 2020 and December 2021 were retrospectively reviewed, verified, and compared.
Results:
Between 2020 and 2021, the number of patients with traumatic brain injury decreased by 251 (32%). No significant differences were observed in sex, age, or time of accident. From 2020 to 2021, among the trauma mechanisms, the number of cases involving rolling down slightly reduced compared with those involving other mechanisms. Furthermore, cerebral contusions among intracranial lesions significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Conclusion:
Partial restrictions on social activities owing to COVID-19 are ongoing. Further investigation of the clinical characteristics of trauma patients over a longer period is required.
