An Overview on Diagnostic and Management Approach of Road Traffic Accidents in Emergency Department

Abstract

Road traffic accidents are a main cause of fatality worldwide. The WHO estimates that RTA is the eighth principal cause of mortality and the primary cause of decease in young adults. Several life-threatening injuries are attributed to RTA; some are more common than others for specific mechanisms. For instance, head-on collisions are associated with lower limb and facial injuries. Meanwhile, rear-end collisions are associated with hyperextension injury of the cervical spine. Since road traffic accidents pose a high risk to the patient’s mortality, proper management is essential. We aimed to review the literature on road traffic accidents from epidemiology, mechanism of injury, and latest management updates. PubMed database was utilized for articles selection, papers from where were obtained and reviewed. Due to the high rate of mortality, the role of the ER physician is to resuscitate, stabilize, and treat life-threatening conditions in all patients presenting after an RTA. The ATLS protocol has been put forth to systematically manage trauma patients, not to miss any condition that may kill the patient. Important conditions to treat include active bleeding, flail chest, cardiac tamponade, massive hemothorax, tension pneumothorax, and airway obstruction. Once the patient is stable, further examination and researches are necessary to assess the full condition of the patient.