A retrospective study has been made of 1,253 cases of traffic accidents which had been treated at the H hospital in Seoul from May 1989 to April 1990.
This study was conducted to find out the nature and pattern of the traffic accident from the clinical and epidemiologic standpoint. The aims of this study were not to indicate direct preventive measures but focus attention on fields in which best results should be given by the preventive measures.
The following results were obtained;
1. Accidents occurred most frequently from 6 p.m. to midnight, 54.2%.
Although there was no significant difference, the descending order of monthly incidence was January(12.3%), March(9.6%), and August(9.6%).
2. Male to female ratio was 2.63:1.
The highest incidence was in age group between 20-29 year(34.7%).
3. The majority of trauma was from taxi and passengers' car (64.1%).
Pedestrians were most commonly injured(43.4%).
4. The types of injury were almost neurosurgical and orthopedic injury(88.1%).
5. Abrasion and contusion were most frequent(25.0%) and cerebral concussion was 21.7%.
6. In abdominal trauma, small bowel (33.3%), spleen(25.0%), liver(12.5%), kidney(8.3%) was the descending order of frequency.
7. Brain damages were responsible for the majority of cause of death (53.6%) and mortality rate was 4.1% in the admitted patients.
