Traffic injury as a medical and sanitary consequence of an emergency of man-made nature in Ukraine. Report four: analysis and characterization of the array of victims depending on the volume of damage

Abstract

Background. Road traffic injuries always remain a significant medical and social problem for all mankind, and in Ukraine even during the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation. The purpose of the study: to determine the clinical and nosological characteristics of victims of road traffic accidents according to the extent of damage in road users. Materials and methods. This article is a continuation of the cycle of publications that were previously published in the journal “Emergency Medicine”, that is, it is a component of a comprehensive study. The actual material of the study were 1,696 cases of road traffic injuries formed by the method of irreversible randomization. The resulting array was formed from victims who were injured in the conditions of a metropolis, a regional city, and a rural area. Results. The conducted analysis found that in the total body of the study, 78.25 % of victims of traffic accidents had damage of up to three anatomical and functional areas (AFAs). Greater damage (4–6 AFAs) occurs in 21.75 % of patients. In the array of those who survived, 79.71 % had damage to 4–6 AFAs, in the array of the dead — 34.68 %. The highest mortality rate is 27.78 % when six AFAs are damaged, and the lowest — with one injured AFA (2.37 %). It was also found that among the “drivers” traffic participants, victims with damage to two (31.56 %) and three AFAs (25.58 %) have the highest specific weight. Among the “passengers” traffic participants, victims with damage to two (33.73 %) and one AFA (26.56 %) have the highest specific weight. Among the “pedestrians” traffic participants, victims with damage to two (29.74 %) and three AFAs (25.15 %) have the highest percentage. Conclusions. 1. It was found that a large amount of damage in general causes a greater threat to the life of a victim of traffic accidents, but the trend is non-linear, that is, the survival is affected by other risk-creating factors. 2. All traffic participants in general have a relatively smaller injury (damage to 1–3 anatomical and functional areas). At the same time, the highest specific weight of such trauma is observed among drivers, and the lowest one among pedestrians. 3. There was a significant influence of the sign of participation in traffic and the extent of damage on the outcome of traumatic process in victims of traffic accidents.