Frequency Of Upper Extremity Fractures In Patients With Road Traffic Accidents And Its Association With Age

Abstract
Background: Upper extremity fractures are the most common musculoskeletal injury seen in the emergency/trauma center. Upper extremity fractures (UEFs) may result in long-term disability. AIM AND OBJECTIVE The aim of our study was to assess the frequency of fractures in patients with road traffic accident and its association with age. Methodology: This prospective cross-sectional study was conducted at X-Ray unit in Aziz Bhatti Trauma Center Gujrat, Pakistan. A total of 200 patients with the history of road traffic accident were enrolled in present study. The duration of this research work was from February 2022 to May 2022. All RTA patients visited us were included. Patients who were admitted in the wards were excluded. Predesigned questionnaire form was used to collect the data. SPSS was used to analyze the data. Frequency of different findings and their associations were found out using the chi square test. These were then graphically portrayed in the form of tables and graphs. P value < 0.05 was considered as significant. Results: We observed 102(51%) fractures in a total of 200 patients. Higher percentage 98(49%) was found in the age group 16-30 years with male predominance. Injuries due to motorcycle fall 110(55%) were the main cause of upper extremity fractures in case of RTA. Radius and humerus were the most frequently fractured bone 21(10.5%) and 20(10%) respectively. Conclusion: Our study showed that the frequencies of upper extremity fractures occur mostly in males and mostly due to the motorcycles fall. Our study established the frequency of upper extremity fractures and it can be considered as a useful guide to determine its occurrence in case of RTAs.