Analysis of cranio-cerebral injuries in vehicular accident victims in south Bangalore: A two-year retrospective study

Abstract

Road traffic accidents are regarded as the most common non communicable epidemics of the world. They are also a major cause for morbidity and mortality. The most common and vulnerable part of the body which is affected during road accidents is the head. This study was done at KIMS hospital Bangalore with an aim to observe the range of cranio-cerebral injuries by analysing the postmortem records between January 2011 to December 2012 retrospectively, which would provide valuable data for implementing effective emergency services to reduce trauma related mortality. During the 2-year study period the study population had a total of 143 decedents ranging between age 5 years to 84 years. Victims of both sexes comprised the study population. The spectrum of head injuries with respect to incidence of skull fractures and type of intracranial haemorrhage were noted. Male predominance was seen over females in 83% of cases. The most common age group to be affected was between 21-30 years, who made 30% of study population. 52% of the decedents had skull fractures, of which 50% of them had sub-arachnoid haemorrhage followed by 47% of decedents with sub-dural hemorrhage. Pedestrians accounted to 38% of the decedents while the remainder 62% accounted for vehicular occupants.