TY - JOUR PY - 1999// TI - Railway train versus motor vehicle collisions: a comparative study of injury severity and patterns JO - Journal of trauma A1 - Rodgers, J. F. A1 - Kerwin, A. J. A1 - Buderer, N. M. A1 - Knotts, F. B. A1 - Kligman, M. D. SP - 928 EP - 931 VL - 47 IS - 5 N2 - OBJECTIVE: This study compares the demographics, injury severity, resource use, and injury patterns of patients involved in railway train-motor vehicle (RT-MV) to motor vehicle-motor vehicle (MV-MV) collisions. METHODS: Retrospective trauma registry review of 74 RT-MV and 1,931 MV-MV consecutive patients, age more than 14 years, presenting to two Level I trauma centers, January of 1991 to May of 1998. RESULTS: Compared with MV-MV, RT-MV had significantly more males (72% vs. 54%), higher mortality (15% vs. 7%), higher Injury Severity Score (median, 20 vs. 9), longer intensive care unit length of stay (1.7 vs. 0.04 days), and longer hospital length of stay (7.5 vs. 4 days). RT-MV patients had a higher percentage of scalp/facial lacerations; intracranial hemorrhage; hemothorax and pneumothorax; fractures of the rib/sternum, upper extremity, skull, and face; and lung, splenic, and renal injuries. After adjusting for the difference in Injury Severity Score between groups, the only remaining significant group difference was the odds of a scalp/facial laceration. CONCLUSION: RT-MV collisions are a marker for more severe injuries, but not a different pattern of injury, compared with MV-MV collisions. LA - SN - 0022-5282 UR - http://dx.doi.org/ ID - ref1 ER -