Article Sidebar
Article Details
Copyright remains in the Author’s name. The work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - Noncommercial Works License. Authors are required to complete and sign an Author Agreement form that outlines Author and Publisher rights and terms of publication. The Agreement form should be uploaded along with other submissions files and any submission will be considered incomplete without it [forthcoming].
Material submitted for publication in the SAMJ is accepted provided it has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere. Please inform the editorial team if the main findings of your paper have been presented at a conference and published in abstract form, to avoid copyright infringement. The SAMJ does not hold itself responsible for statements made by the authors.
Previously published images
If an image/figure has been previously published, permission to reproduce or alter it must be obtained by the authors from the original publisher and the figure legend must give full credit to the original source. This credit should be accompanied by a letter indicating that permission to reproduce the image has been granted to the author/s. This letter should be uploaded as a supplementary file during submission.
Main Article Content
Interpersonal violence as a major contributor towards the skewed burden of trauma in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Abstract
Background. Trauma is one of the foremost causes of death worldwide, but there is a paucity of data on demographics and injury patterns in developing countries.
Objectives. To quantify and describe the major trauma burden at a regional hospital in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa (SA), over a 5-year period.
Methods. Ngwelezane Hospital is a large regional hospital in northern KZN. A database is maintained of all major trauma patients admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) resuscitation unit. Statistical analysis was performed to quantify the burden of trauma and analyse trends in these data.
Results. Over a 5-year period, 3 735 major trauma patients were admitted to the ED resuscitation unit. Analysis showed a male predominance, with a mean patient age of 28.6 years. An average of 62 patients per month were admitted, the rate peaking over the holiday seasons. Trauma secondary to interpersonal violence (IPV) predominated. A disproportionately high level of pedestrian-motor vehicle collisions (PMVCs) in relation to total road traffic collisions was noted. Blunt force trauma secondary to motor vehicle collisions was the leading cause of death, while blunt force trauma secondary to PMVCs carried the highest mortality rate.
Conclusion. This study highlights the high incidences of both IPV and PMVCs typical of trauma in an SA setting. The demographics and injury patterns noted may be used to drive public health interventions to address this burden of trauma.
