A study of 200 skull fracture cases following vehicular accidents in the City of Guwahati: The gateway to North-East India

Abstract

Introduction: Gradual increase in a number of vehicular accidents globally becomes a matter of concern, and adequate policies are required to reduce such incidents. This study was conducted in Guwahati city, the gateway to North-East India, to know the various factors related to such incidents associated with fractures of skull. Materials and Methods: A total of 200 cases were selected randomly over a period of 1 year. It was a cross-sectional study and data were collected from police, relatives of the deceased, and hospital records in an especially designed pro forma (questionnaire). Results obtained were tabulated and analyzed accordingly. Results: Results showed that almost 90% (89.5%) of the victims were male and 20–29 years was the most common age group involved. Fissured fracture was the most common skull fracture found in our study (56%), and temporal bone was involved in 56% of the cases. Occupants of two-wheelers were found more vulnerable to skull fracture. About 46% of the victims died before they could reach hospital, and in 71% of the cases, rural people were involved. Conclusion: Immediate and timely first-aid measure along with setting up of tertiary health-care centers in rural areas is absolutely necessary to prevent death due to vehicular accidents as the majority of the victims died before they could reach a well-equipped hospital. Public awareness about the use of protective gears, use of footpaths, and also safe usage of mobile phones while using roads would be of great help in reducing such incidents.

Keywords

• Skull fracture
• tertiary health-care center
• vehicular accidents