Citation

Dischinger PC, Cowley RA, Shankar BS, Smialek JE. Proc. Assoc. Adv. Automot. Med. Annu. Conf. 1988; 32: 15-23.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1988, Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Although blunt injury to the chest with rupture of the thoracic aorta is a frequent occurrence in vehicular accidents, few victims of this injury reach the hospital alive. Thus, analysis of vehicular fatalities resulting from ruptured aorta should give a fairly complete picture of the epidemiologic factors associated with this lesson.

Police reports, autopsy records, and ambulance run-sheets were obtained for the 739 traffic fatalities recorded in Maryland in 1985. Of those victims with complete autopsies, it was determined that 105 or 23.5% had a ruptured thoracic aorta. Characteristics of those accidents are described and contrasted to the other fatalities.