title: Three strikes--don't die of a broken heart.
abstract: There are multiple layers of complexity in prevention of vehicle related blunt traumatic aortic rupture (BTAR), many of which are enshrined within government policy and car design. We present a 'layers of protection analysis' (LOPA) based loosely on original work by Professor John Doyle, which describes these attempts to 'design out' the risk of BTAR following a vehicle collision. We have modified this approach to include a physiological dimension suggesting that this may be a factor in susceptibility to aortic injury following trauma. Understanding processes involved in BTAR following vehicle collisions is key to designing preventative processes.
authors.affiliation: The Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, Liverpool, UK. mlfield@doctors.net.uk
authors.forename: Mark L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Field
authors.forename: Priya
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sastry
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Richens
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001011:Aorta / Q000293:injuries*; D001019:Aortic Rupture / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D004867:Equipment Design; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D033161:Government Regulation; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D012622:Seat Belts; D013898:Thoracic Injuries / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology