Medical complications such as sepsis or multiple organ system failure increase the morbidity and mortality associated with injuries sustained in car crashes. This study addresses the question of the association, if any, between one crash characteristic, ie change in velocity, and subsequent medical complications. Data on seventy-six severely injured patients were obtained as part of an in-depth, trauma-center-based study of the biomechanics of vehicular trauma. Factors found to be predictive of the development of complications included patient greater than or equal to 36 years, change in velocity greater than or equal to 30mph, and injury severity score greater than or equal to 25. Vehicle occupants involved in crashes with a change in velocity greater than or equal to 30 mph has a risk of complications more than five times greater than for those in the lower change in velocity group. Better knowledge of the dynamics and severity of the crash could help clinical staff anticipate the development of complications and initiate timely prevention strategies. (Author/publisher).
Samenvatting