Survey of trauma patients injured by falling or flying objects in Japan based on the Japan Trauma Data Bank

Purpose We retrospectively investigated patients injured by falling/flying objects using the Japan Trauma Data Bank (JTDB). Methods The study collected information of the JTEB from January 2004 to May 2019. The subjects were divided into two groups: the unexpected accident (UA) group included cases in which the patient was injured by an unexpected accident; the labor accident (LA) group included cases in which the patient was injured at work. Results A total of 1997 patients were enrolled as subjects (UA group,n = 383; LA group,n = 1134). In both groups, head injuries were the most frequent type of injury, followed by chest injuries. The median head abbreviated injury scale of the UA group was significantly higher than that of the LA group. In the UA group, the percentage of female patients, average age, and average TRISS value were significantly greater in comparison to the LA group. The frequency of emergency operations in the UA group was significantly lower in comparison to the LA group. The frequency of head injuries in the UA group was significantly greater than that in the LA group. The frequencies of upper extremity and lower extremity injuries in the UA group were significantly lower than those in the LA group. Conclusion This is the first report to analyze trauma patients injured by falling/flying objects using the JTDB. Public health and emergency providers can use this information to anticipate the health-care needs after falling/flying object injuries.

Automated summary

This study retrospectively investigated patients injured by falling/flying objects using the Japan Trauma Data Bank (JTDB). The results showed that head injuries were the most frequent type of injury in both the UA and LA groups, but the frequency of head injuries was significantly higher in the UA group. Additionally, the UA group had a significantly higher percentage of female patients, average age, and average TRISS value compared to the LA group.