Evaluation of Epidemiological Factors of Radiological Imaging Methods in Thoracoabdominal Trauma Patients

Abstract

Aim:Traumas continue to be the leading cause of death in healthy adults presenting to emergency services worldwide. This study aimed to analyze the epidemiological causes of life-threatening thoracoabdominal traumas.Materials and Methods:One thousand and one hundred and twenty-one patients older than 18 years of age who presented to the emergency service due to trauma between January 1st, 2017, and December 31st, 2019, were included in this retrospective study. Traumas were grouped as falls, traffic accidents and penetrating injuries. Five groups were also formed according to radiological imaging methods.Results:Mean age was 35.80±16.15 years in in-vehicle accidents and 46.56±17.64 years in penetrating injuries (p=0.001). It was found that 847 (75.6%) of the cases were falls, 222 (19.8%) were traffic accidents, and 52 (4.6%) were penetrating injuries. Sixty-seven (%6) of the cases underwent ultrasonography in falls from higher than 2 m, 399 (35.6%) of the cases underwent direct X-ray in falls from lower than 2 m, 9 (0.8%) cases underwent abdominal computed tomography (CT), 19 (1.7%) cases underwent multiple imaging in non-vehicle traffic accidents, and 24 (2.1%) cases underwent thoracic CT in falls from higher than 2 m. In the analysis of trauma types with variables, positive low and moderate correlation was found in all variables except for age.Conclusion:Mortality and morbidity rates can be reduced by an early multidisciplinary approach to trauma cases and early decision of radiological imaging procedures to be carried out.

Keywords

• emergency service
• epidemiology
• trauma
• mortality
• radiological imaging