Citation

Quadri B, Casabianca A, Martinoli S. Helv. Chir. Acta 1989; 56(1-2): 113-120.

Vernacular Title

Traumatologie routiere au canton du Tessin en 1982 et en 1985. Epidemiologie,

Copyright

(Copyright © 1989, Schwabe)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

2777588

Abstract

In the paper we present the results of an epidemiological study we conducted upon injuries due to road accidents in Canton Ticino. We investigated into 1471 injured patients admitted to hospital during 1982 in Canton Ticino, all the in- and out-patients at the Ospedale Civico during 1985 and all the seriously injured patients in road accidents where the scientific police (SIR) were called in. 106 (8%) patients died, 206 (15%) were seriously injured (87 patients with chronic infirmity) and 1062 had slight injuries. The total lesions were 2900 and 839 surgical operations were necessary. These patients needed a total of 7804 days of hospitalization (677 days in the intensive care unit). Motorcycles represented 46.5 of the involved vehicles. The major risk groups by age are: 14-17-year-olds (motorcyclist), 18-29-year-olds (automobilists and motorcyclists), up to 13 and over 60 years of age (pedestrians). The percentage of the total road accidents which occur at the week-end is of 49.4%. At peak hours (17.00 p.m.) the percentage of accident is 8.1% (115 accidents) and in the small hours the percentage is of 5.5% (74 accidents). The annual hospitalization costs amounted to 3,200,000 SFr., whereas the real costs corresponding to production loss, social expenditures (25.737 were the days of disability) and in- and out-patient care are as high as 100 million francs.

Language: fr