Abstract
Objective: To describe and analyze characteristics of cases of spinal cord Trauma (SCT) among traffic accident victims admitted to a referral hospital.
 Method: Descriptive, analytical, cross-sectional study with quantitative approach, developed in the city of Campina Grande, in the state of Paraíba, Brazil. The population consists of 1,884 medical records of patients admitted to hospital after damage caused by traffic accidents from January to December 2016. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, adopting a significance level of 5%.
 Results: Among the victims of traffic accidents, there was a male predominance (85.4%). The most affected age group was 21 to 30 years (29%). Accidents involving motorcyclists were predominant (82.9%) and 43 victims (2.3%) suffered spinal injury. Among these ones, there was a prevalence of males (86%), in the age group between 21 and 30 years (35.7%). In 30 cases (69.8%), the victims had spinal injuries. The cervical level (55.8%) was dominant. In addition, 46.7% of the victims were classified as ASIA and there were 9 cases (30%) of paraplegia and 1 case (3.3%) of tetraplegia. A bivariate analysis revealed a significant association between the variable presence of SCT and type of accident (p <0.001), use of cervical collar (p <0.005), injuries in other anatomical regions (p <0.001), surgical treatment (p < 0.001) and outcome of the patient’s situation (p <0.005).
 Conclusions: Among the victims of traffic accidents and SCT there was a predominance of males, young individuals and motorcyclists. Keywords: Epidemiology. Traffic-accidents. Public health. Spinal injuries. Spinal cord trauma.
Highlights
Spinal cord trauma (SCT) has increased its incidence rate [1, 2] and may trigger a situation that has a devastating influence on the individual’s life [1, 23]
Among the victims of traffic accidents and SCT there was a predominance of males, young individuals and motorcyclists
Observing the importance of traffic accidents as an etiological factor of spinal injury in the Public Health context, the present study aimed to describe and analyze the characteristics of cases of SCT in traffic accident victims admitted to a referral hospital, in a medium-sized city in northeastern Brazil
Summary
Spinal cord trauma (SCT) has increased its incidence rate [1, 2] and may trigger a situation that has a devastating influence on the individual’s life [1, 23]. Spinal cord trauma is often responsible for the emergence of serious psychological problems, which may continue for up to 10 years after its occurrence, causing changes in family daily life and in the relations of the individual in society [4] This health problem results in several other conditions capable of increasing its severity, such as pressure injuries, pulmonary infections, deep vein thrombosis and others [5, 6, 7]. Traffic accidents are a major cause of SCT, which, according to Verma et al [9], are responsible for the occurrence of 66.4% of trauma in general, being the main cause of spinal injury [1, 10, 11] These types of accidents increase the severity because they trigger associated trauma, more serious injuries and higher mortality [12], besides causing psychological problems such as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and depression [13, 14]. They are a serious public health problem, being associated with economic consequences, disabilities, significant losses for the victim and all the family, influencing quality of life, and may lead to death [15]
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