Citation

Malczyk A, Helm M, Hossfeld B, Lampl L, Ecker M, Riepl C, Winkler L, Liener U, Hartwig E, Kulla M. Notarzt 2014; 30(4): 149-158.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014)

DOI

10.1055/s-0034-1370068

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Limited information exists in Germany about road traffic accidents that result in life-threatening injuries or long-term disabilities. In the course of the presented study, all accidents with most severely injured road users occurring in six counties and two larger cities with a population of more than 1.3 million were collected over a 12-month period. The cases include both patients with life-threatening injuries (ISS = 16) who were treated in hospitals and victims who deceased on scene already. For this total survey of accidents prospective and retrospective date were used. Beside injury patterns, important characteristics of the collision, vehicle damage and the use of helmets or seat belts and the activation of airbags were documented. Altogether, 131 victims of road traffic accidents with life-threatening injuries were admitted to trauma centres during the study period. 19 of them died in-hospital. Further 66 victims died on scene. Only a proportion of 10% among the so called "seriously injured", as defined in national statistics (n = 1125), had an ISS = 16 after road traffic accidents. Passenger car occupants represented the major portion among both the clinically treated and the immediately deceased. Severe injuries resulted most frequently from frontal impacts. Side impacts constituted another major collision scenario. Vehicle roll-overs produced severe outcomes especially for unbelted occupants. Almost all motorcyclists were male and presented the highest average of injury severity overall. Single accidents were rarely a cause for most severe trauma in this group. Of all injury types, lung contusions counted among the most frequent injuries. Serious fractures of extremities occurred particularly in motorcyclists and car drivers after frontal impacts. Severe trauma to the brain was mostly the result of car occupants sustaining lateral impacts or when pedestrians or bicyclists struck. Firstly, the results underline the importance of the mechanism of injury of severely injured patients due to road traffic accidents. Secondly, the necessity becomes clear to reduce the risk for severe head injury by means of secondary safety measures like curtain air-bags and pedestrian airbags as well as by an increased use of bicycle helmets.

Language: de