Geographic distribution of trauma hot spots in Tehran, Iran

To improve the performance of the trauma management system, we examined the pattern of injury “Hot spots” in Tehran. All hospitals in Tehran admitting trauma victims were included in this study. In randomly selected days throughout the year (41 days), trained interviewers collected data on trauma cases round the clock. If the patient was hospitalized, further information about the cause of trauma and its mechanism was recorded. In all, 4198 patients were admitted to the hospitals and interviewed. The mean age of the patients was 29.8±18 years. 78 percent of our patients were male. The major mechanism of injury was traffic accident followed by falls, penetrating injuries, and alcohol intoxication. The highest number of cases came from the 4th, 20th and 12th municipal districts (Bazaar, Pa-Menar, Khaniabad). If we considered only road traffic accidents (As the major cause of trauma), the 4th, 20th, and 12th regions were the most frequent sites of occurrence. More comprehensive studies have to be performed on the causes of injuries in the “Hot spots” to elucidate what preventive strategies would effectively reduce the incidence of trauma in these areas.