Lower Extremity Trauma in Vehicular Front-Seat Occupants: Patients Admitted to a Level 1 Trauma Center

This study involves development of a data collection instrument with which to capture detailed information on crash reconstruction, biomechanics, engineering, and orthopedic aspects of leg/foot fractures. Data are being collected on patients admitted to a Level 1 trauma center so that postulates can be developed regarding mechanisms of injury. To be included in this study, the patient must have been a front seat occupant (restrained or unrestrained) of a late-model passenger vehicle or light truck/van involved in a collision, must not have been the victim of a rollover or ejection type crash, and must have sustained a lower extremity fracture distal to the femur. To date, data have been obtained for 42 trauma patients (22 men and 20 women). The mean Injury Severity Score for this group was 16, with an average of 2.2 lower extremity fractures distal to the femur per patient. The mean change in velocity (delta V) was 28.4 mph (45.7 km/h) (n = 39). Preliminary findings, including postulated patterns for mechanism of injury, are described in this paper.