title: Abdominal and pelvic injuries caused by road traffic accidents: characteristics and outcomes in a French cohort of 2,009 casualties.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The frequency, characteristics, and effect on outcome of abdominal and pelvic injuries (API) caused by road traffic accidents are not well known. We studied them in a well-defined geographical area in France.
  
  
  METHODS
  The medical data of all hospitalized victims of road traffic accidents that occurred over a 3-year period were recorded. Injuries were coded according to the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS). The Injury Severity Score (ISS) was calculated. Continuous and qualitative variables were described by means and standard deviations or medians and percentages, respectively. Proportions and means were compared using the χ2 and Student tests, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 6,977 victims of road traffic accidents, 2,009 were hospitalized (mean ISS=7.9). API were present in 9.3% (n=186) of all hospitalized victims and in 32.2% (n=82) of the most severely injured (ISS≥16, n=255) hospitalized victims. The most frequently seriously injured abdominopelvic organs (AIS≥3) were the spleen, the retroperitoneal organs, and the liver. The mean ISS and the mortality rate were significantly higher for victims with API than those without API (17.5 vs. 6.9, P<0.001; 9.7% vs. 1.9%, P<0.001). In multivariate analysis, the presence of severe API increased the mortality rate by a factor of 2.5.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, API were present in one third of the most severely injured victims of road traffic accidents and were a significant factor of gravity and mortality. This study, conducted in France where there is no National Trauma Registry, underlined the need for establishing such registry.
authors.affiliation: CHU Dijon, Chirurgie Digestive, Thoracique et Cancérologique, Dijon, France. nicolas.cheynel@chu-dijon.fr
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cheynel
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gentil
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Freitz
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rat
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ortega Deballon
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bonithon Kopp
mesh_terms: D000007:Abdominal Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010388:Pelvis / Q000293:injuries*