Biomedicine

Abstract

Introduction and Aim: Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are becoming more common owing to factors such as increased vehicle usage, daily changes, traffic law violations, anarchic systems, and risky driving practices. Thoracoabdominal injuries are a major cause of mortality in fatal traffic accidents. This study aimed to investigate thoracoabdominal injury patterns in fatal accidents. Materials & Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was carried out on 100 post-mortem autopsies from road traffic accidents, focusing on the prevalence of injuries occurring in the thoracoabdominal region, particularly in the organs and wounds. Data were compiled to understand the epidemiological factors related to victims, sites of impact, and vehicles. This study also examined features pertaining to road users, vehicles, and environmental conditions as well as their survival period. Results: The proportion of males to females noted was 3.5 1. Additionally, most victims were between 21-30 years of age range. The thoracic region's most common injury was rib fracture, which accounted for approximately 84% of the cases. Most victims died within 6 hours (48%), and 67% of the total number of victims died in the hospital. The lungs were the most injured organ (75%). Shock and hemorrhage (62%) were the commonest leading causes of death, followed by multi-organ dysfunction syndrome (22%). Conclusion: Human error is a significant contributor to deadly road traffic accidents and can be mitigated through stricter licensing policies, increased traffic knowledge, reduced drug abuse, and constructing network of road that aligns with the volume of traffic.