Trauma: an epidemiological study from a single institute in Ahvaz, Iran

This prospective study was conducted to evaluate the characteristics and outcomes of trauma patients attending the emergency department of a university hospital in Ahvaz- Iran (2000). We identified all trauma admissions due to blunt and penetrating injuries. Data were collected from emergency departments and intensive care log books at Golestan hospital by on-site data collectors. The total number of patients included in the study was 1141; of these, 952 (83.4%) were males. The mean age of the study sample was 26.7 +/- 17 years (range, 1- 84 years). Injuries were predominantly of the blunt type (91.8%), with only a small percentage of penetrating injuries (8.2%). The most common cause of injury was traffic accidents (59%). There were a total of 96 deaths (8.4%), and only a small number had an ISS of ≤ 15. Reflecting the overall mechanisms of injury, most deaths were caused by traffic accidents (71 patients-74%) and falls (16 patients- 16.7%). The high frequency of traffic (especially pedestrian) accidents suggests that considerable effort is required for preventing these injuries.