Analysis of Limb Injury Patterns in Victims of Two Wheeler Accidents

Objectives: A retrospective study was carried out to analyse the two wheeler accidents that presented over a one year period to a single institution and to study the pattern of limb injuries according to zones assigned to the limb. The mode of injury in the two wheeler accidents and the differences in limb injuries between the driver and the pillion riding passenger were also studied. Methods: All the road traffic accidents that could be attributed to two wheelers were obtained with the help of trauma records and the nominal registers and ward records. Limb injuries were then assigned to various anatomical zones that were created for the purpose of the study. The upper limb and lower limb injuries were separately analysed for differences between the driver and the pillion rider. Results: There were 242 two wheeler accidents seen between 1st jan 2008 to 31st dec 2008, of these 110 had limb injuries. 96 cases were eventually included and of these 67 were drivers. The most common mode of injury was a skid and fall of the vehicle ( 42%). Pillion riders were injured more often in collisions between two and four wheelers. The commonest injury in drivers was in wrist and hand regions of the upper limb and the tibia and ankle regions of the lower limb. In the pillion rider, lower limb injuries were commonest in the tibia and ankle whereas in the upper limb shoulder and wrist injuries predominated. Conclusion: Two wheeler accidents cause significant morbidity in both the driver and pillion rider, the tibia and ankle are commonly injured in both the populations whereas minor differences in upper limb injury are seen between the two groups. Keywords: Road traffic accidents; epidemiology; pattern of injuries. DOI: 10.3126/ajms.v1i1.2794 Asian Journal of Medical Sciences Vol.1(1) 2010 p.14-15