The Analysis of Fractures of Forearms, Wrists and Hands due to Traffic Accidents

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Limb injuries have an important place in traffic accidents. Although it has been identified among the most frequently injured areas in hand, wrist and forearm in traffic accidents; often neglected due to more severe injuries. In our study, it was aimed to evaluate the cases with hand, wrist and forearm fractures after traffic accidents, to define the age and gender distribution of the injured people, to compare the location and types of fractures in and out of the vehicle. METHODS: In this study, the medical files of patients who applied to the Emergency Department of the Medical Faculty and the Forensic Medicine Outpatient Clinic after a traffic accident in the 7-year period between 01.01.2013 and 31.12.2019 were included in the study. RESULTS: In our study, ulna-radius diaphysis fractures, which usually occur as a result of a direct blow to the forearm, were seen in more than 70% of all cases in the presented series with forearm, wrist and hand bone fractures due to traffic accidents. Direct mechanisms were effective in 65.9% of the fractures, and direct fractures were prominent especially in pedestrians and passengers. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: In our study, the founding of radius-ulna fractures, which usually occur as a result of a direct blow to the forearm in more than 70% of the cases in the presented series, the detection of effect of direct mechanisms in 65.9% of the fractures, and the seeing of in the foreground of direct fractures in pedestrians and passengers have been accepted as important indicators revealing that primary injuries are at the forefront rather than secondary injuries in traffic accidents.

Keywords

• traffic accidents
• hand
• wrist
• forearm
• fractures.