Road Traffic Accident – A Preventable Cause of Head Injury: Experience in Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar

Authors

  • MUHAMMAD USMAN Department of Neurosurgery, Postgraduate Medical Institute Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar
  • MUMTAZ ALI Department of Neurosurgery, Postgraduate Medical Institute Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar
  • KHALID MAHMOOD KHAN Department of Neurosurgery, Postgraduate Medical Institute Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar
  • Hayat Mohammad Khan Department of Neurosurgery, Postgraduate Medical Institute Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar

Keywords:

Head Injury, Road traffic accident,, ubarachnoid Hemorrhage, Extradural Hematoma

Abstract

Objective: To study the different causes and aspects of head injury in patients of road traffic accidents.
Material and Methods: This observational study was conducted in Neurosurgery Department of PGMI, Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar from January 2010 to June 2010. Patients of all ages with either sex were included in this study, while those patients of head injury having associated thoracic, abdominal or pelvic injuries were excluded. All the data was collected by using a Performa. Data was analyzed by descriptive statistics using SPSS software version 17.
Results: Out of total 1344 trauma patients, 638 sustained head injury due to Road traffic accident (RTA). Male were 67.24% (429 patients) and female were 32.75% (209 patients). Most of the patients (66.45%) were up to 30 years of age, i.e., less than 10 years were 23.98% and 42.47% were of the age range of 11-30 years. Majority of the patients (87.93%) were treated conservatively, while 77 patients (12.06%) required surgical intervention and were treated accordingly. Major radiological findings were extradural hematoma and brain edema, 15.98% each, brain contusions 12.69%, skull bone linear fracture, linear fracture with pneumocephalus and subgaleal hema-toma 9.56% each. Out of total 137 patients of severe head injury (GCS = 3 – 8) only 28 expired. Most of the patients (67.86%) had satisfactory condition at discharge.
Conclusion: Although majority of the patients of road traffic accident did not require any neurosurgical intervention, most of them remained admitted for quite a long period of time, due only to a cause which could have easily be avoided.

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Published

2018-10-17

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Vol. 15 No. 1 (2011): January-June

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Original Articles

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