[Factors associated with the death of motorcyclists in traffic accidents]. / Fatores associados ao óbito de motociclistas nas ocorrências de trânsito.

In order to identify the factors associated with death among motorcyclists involved in traffic accidents in Maringá - PR, a retrospective study was performed, including motorcyclists involved in accidents in the year 2004. Data were collected from the Military Police records, the Integrated System for Emergency Trauma Care (Sistema Integrado de Atendimento ao Trauma em Emergência -SIATE) and the Institute of Legal Medicine. Bivariate analyses and binary logistical regression were performed. A total of 2,362 motorcyclists were identified in the Police Reports, 1,743 of whom also had records in the Emergency Responders reports. Victims who succumbed to their injuries differed from victims who survived in terms of age, place of residence, time elapsed since obtaining a driver's license, and their physiological condition at the scene of the accident. The following variables were maintained in the final model: Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), Revised Trauma Score (RTS), pulse, and blood oxygen saturation. The physiological conditions of the victims at the scene of the accidents were highlighted in the final model, with GCS surpassing RTS in regards to association with death.

[Risk for injuries among motorcyclists involved in traffic incidents]. / Risco de lesões em motociclistas nas ocorrências de trânsito.

The objective of this study was to identify, among motorcyclists involved in traffic incidents, the factors associated with risk of injuries. In 2004, in the city of Maringá-PR, it was determined that there were a total of 2,362 motorcyclists involved in traffic incidents, according to records from the local Military Police. Multivariate analysis was applied to identify the factors associated with the presence of injury. A significantly higher probability of injury was observed among motorcyclists involved in collisions (odds Ratio= 11.19) and falls (odds Ratio= 3.81); the estimated odds ratio for females was close to four, and those involved in incidents including up to two vehicles were 2.63 times more likely to have injuries. Women involved in motorcycle falls and collisions with up to two vehicles stood out as a high-risk group for injuries.

[Injury diagnosis quality of life among motorcyclists, victims of traffic accidents]. / Diagnóstico de lesões e qualidade de vida de motociclistas, vítimas de acidentes de trânsito.

This study characterizes motorcyclists living at Maringá-Paraná-Brazil, who were victims of traffic accidents and were attended in hospitals for trauma treatments. The injured have been characterized according to trauma severity, body regions affected and the body region with the most serious injury, besides identifying possible differences in the quality of life of the victims who developed traumatic brain injury. While the Injury Severity Score was used to evaluate trauma severity, the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey was applied to assess the victims' quality of life. With respect to trauma severity, victims with mild injuries (73.14%) were predominant. Most victims (59.70%) were injured in the lower members of the body, followed by injuries in the upper ones (58.21%) and in the head (31.34%). Limbs were most affected when compared to other body regions. There was no difference in the quality of life of post-trauma victims with or without cranium-encephalic trauma.

Elderly victims of falls seen by prehospital care: gender differences.

OBJECTIVE: To identify elderly who are victims of falls, according to gender, who received care from prehospital services of Maringá, Paraná. METHODS: A cross-sectional exploratory study carried out with 1,444 elderly patients who suffered falls in Maringá in the period from 2006 to 2008. Data were gathered from prehospital care services, typed and processed using the Epi Info 6.04d®. The χ² test was used to compare the falls in relation to gender (significance level = 0.05). RESULTS: The number of falls according to gender presented similar percentages, 51.0% for males and 49.0% for females. Significant differences between genders were observed regarding age (p < 0.001), presence of alcohol breath (p < 0.001), type of fall (p < 0.001), place of fall (p < 0.001), treatment at hospital (p = 0.023), number of injuries (p = 0.014), type of injury (p < 0.001) and injury location (p <0.001). CONCLUSION: These results show that falls happen differently among the elderly when considering gender. It highlights the importance of understanding these differences in detail and the circumstances in which the fall occurred, since this knowledge is key to plan preventive actions.

Traffic accidents with motorcycles and their relationship to mortality.

This study characterizes traffic accidents involving motorcycles according to local conditions, data concerning the type of accident, date and time, and identifies among these variables those associated with the death of victims. This retrospective study uses data from traffic collision reports from 2004 and death records from the institute of forensic medicine. A total of 99.4% of the events occurred in urban areas, where illumination (87.4%), weather conditions (80.6%); and traffic signs (70.6%) were satisfactory. Collisions between motorcycles and cars or pickup trucks prevailed (55.5%), followed by motorcycle falls (18.0%). In relation to the type of collision, the highest percentage was observed in broadside collision category (35.2%). There were differences between the groups of fatalities and survivors in relation to the area and illumination in the collision's site, in addition to the types of collision and impact. The conclusion is that local conditions and types of collision and impact stand out among the multiple variables defining the severity of accidents involving motorcycles.