Inpact of speed limit - I. Chest injuries, review of 966 cases

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Inpact of speed limit - I. Chest injuries, review of 966 cases

Alyono, D. / Perry, J.

Traffic fatalities have decreased since the reduction in the speed limit to 55 miles per hour. However, there has been no report documenting a decrease in the severity of chest injury from automobile accidents. From January, 1968, to January, 1980, 966 patients with chest injury from automobile accidents were admitted: 463 during the period January, 1968, to December, 1973 (before speed limit change, first period), and 503 during the period January, 1974 to January, 1980 (after reduction of speed limit, second period). The mortality during the first period was 17.3 % (80/463), which was 16,1 % higher than second period, 14,9 % (75/503), p greather than 0,05. There were no significant differences in number of the following chest injuries: multiple rib fractures, 77,8% (380/463) versus 73,0 % (367/503); pneumothorax, 41,7 % (193) versus 24,9 % (125/503); diaphragm rupture, 3,9 % (18/463) versus 4,2 % (21/503); tracheoesophageal fistula, 0,4 % (2/463) versus 0 % (0/503); cardiac injury, 3,5 % (16/463) versus 5,6 % (28/503), or aortic injury, 3,2 % (15/463) versus 4,0 % (20/503). There were statistically significant differences in the following injuries: hemothorax, 42,1 % (195/463) versus 29,2 % (147/503), p less than 0.01; tracheobronchial rupture, 1,5 % (7/463), versus 0 % (0/503), p less than 0,01; and flail chest, 14,7 % (68/463) versus 7,2 % (36/503), p less than 0,001.