Citation

Ryb GE, Dischinger PC, Burch CA, Kerns TJ, Kufera J, Andersen D. Ann. Adv. Automot. Med. 2012; 56: 175-181.

Affiliation

The Charles C. Mathias, Jr. National Study Center for Trauma and EMS, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD (GER, PCD, CAB, TJK, JK); Program in Trauma, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD (GER); Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, US Department of Health and Human Services (DA).

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

23169127

Abstract

PURPOSE: : The current study will attempt to elucidate whether frailty has a role in motor vehicle crash injury causation. METHODS: : The association between frailty and injury was studied among Crash Injury Research Engineering Network (CIREN) cases. The baseline "physical functioning" (PF) score of the SF-36 was used as a marker of frailty (i.e., PF score <75). Frailty associations with ISS and occupant, vehicular and crash factors were explored. Frailty association with delta V was analyzed among injured (i.e., brain, rib, or femur) belted occupants in frontal crashes to establish whether frailty confers a different risk of each particular injury. RESULTS: : Frailty occurred in 13.7 % of the cohort (n=1,747). Median (q1-q3) ISS was 14.0 (10-22) among the frail and 17.0 (10-24) among the non frail (p=0.40). Frailty was significantly associated with advanced age, male gender, the presence of co-morbidities, extreme BMIs, frontal and near-side crashes and delta V < 45 km/h. Seat belt use and ISS<16 were not associated with frailty. Multiple linear regressions, adjusting for age, gender and BMI revealed a negative association between frailty and log delta V (coefficient -0.188, p=0.04) among those with rib fractures but not among those with brain injuries or femur fractures. CONCLUSION: : PF score, a marker of frailty, is associated with similar ISS and lower delta V and is independently linked to lower delta V thresholds for some injuries (i.e. rib fractures) but not for others (i.e. brain injuries and femur fractures). These associations suggest a potential role of frailty in injury causation.

Language: en