Aims: This study was aimed at analysing the pattern of Orthopaedic injuries among patients attending the Emergency department.

Methods: This was a Retrospective study conducted in the Department of Orthopedics GMC Jammu. The record analysis of injured patients seen at the emergency department over a 17 months period from January 2017 to 31 may 2018.The data was analyzed with special reference to the pattern of Orthopedic injuries.

Results: During the 17 months study period, 2878 injured patients were seen in the emergency department. Out of these the maximum (n=366, 44.3 percent) were in the age group of 20-40years. There were 1956 males (67.96 percent) and 922 (32.03 percent) females patients. Road traffic accident was the most common cause of injuries being responsible for 1729 (60.07%) of patient injuries. Other causes were fall from height in 533 cases (18.52%), fall from bed in 36 cases (1.25%) fall from stairs in 61 cases (2.12%), fall on ground in 93 cases (4.87%), occupational injuries in 239 cases (83 %), assault in cases 140 (4.87%) and sports related in 24 cases (0.83%) and firearm injury 23 cases.

Conclusion: Our study concluded that Road Traffic Accidents (RTA) was demonstrated to be a leading cause of musculoskeletal injuries. Thus application of Road safety measures are required to bring down the road traffic accident (RTA) rate & related mortality. The provision of appropriate emergency service to the patients with Prompt and adequate care can save lives and also reduce the severity and duration of illness.

1. Hanche-Oslen TP, Alemu L, Viste A, Wisborg T, Hansen KS. Trauma care in Africa: a status report from Botswana, guided by The World Health Organization’s ‘Guidelines for Essential Trauma Care’ World J Surg2012 Oct; 36(10):2371-83.
2. Gosselin RA, Spiegel DA, Coughlin R, Zirkle LG. Injuries: the neglected burden in developing countries. Bull World Health Organ 2009 Apr;87(4):246-a.
3. Orthopaedics-orthoinfo-AAOS (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons). [online] Available from: http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/ topic.cfm?topic=a00099 [cited: August 2014].
4. Hospital, Addis Ababa-Ethiopia. East Cent. Afr. J. Surg2005;10(2):43-50.
5. Verma V, Singh S, Singh GK, Kumar S, Singh A, Gupta K. Distribution of injury and injury patterns in trauma victims admitted to the trauma Centre of CSMMU, Lucknow. Indian J Comm Health 2013 May 9;25(1):52-60.
6. Pan R, Chang N, Chu D, Hsu K, Hsu Y, et al. Epidemiology of orthopedic fractures and other injuries among inpatients admitted due to traffic accidents: a 10-year nationwide survey in Taiwan. Sci World J, 2014 Feb.

7. Thomas V, Lavanya, Sridhler. Epidemiologic profile of road traffic accident (RTA) cases admitted in a tertiary care hospital-a retro- spective study in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. 2013;3(6):30-36.
8. Manna N, Mallik S, Mandal P, Chakraborty D, Sardar JC, et al. Epidemiological factors of road traffic accidents: a study in a tertiary care setting in India. 2013;3(1):48-53.
9. World Health Organization (WHO). WHO global report on falls prevention in older age. 2007. Geneva (Switzerland).
10. Alamgir H, Muazzam S, Nasrullah M. Unintentional falls mortality among elderly in the United States: time for action. 2012 Dec 31;43(12):2065-71.
11. Kalula SZ. A WHO global report on falls among older persons, 2006.
12. Peden M mK, Krug E. Injury: a leading cause of the global burden of disease, 2000. Geneva: WHO; 2002. The injury chart book 2000, 2002.
13. Omran AR. The epidemiologic transition: a theory of the epidemiology of population change. 1971. The Milbank quarterly. PubMed PMID: 16279965, 2005; 83(4):731-57.
14. Odero WGP, Zwi A. Road traffic injuries in developing countries: a comprehensive review of epidemiologicalstudies. Tropical Medicine and International Health. 1997; 2(5):445-60.
15. Jacobs G AA, Astrop A. Estimating global road fatalities. London: Transport Research Laboratory. 2000 (TRL Report 445).
16. Murray CJLA. The global burden of disease: a comprehensive assessment of mortality and disability from diseases, injuries and risk factors in 1990 and projected to 2020. (Global burden of disease and injury series). Boston: Harvard School of Public Health; 1996, 1.
17. Solagberu BA, Adekanye AO, Ofoegbu CPK, Kuranga SA, Udoffa US, Abdur-Rahman LO et al. Clinical spectrum of trauma at a university hospital in Nigeria. Eur J Trauma. 2002; 28:365-9.
18. Mock C, Quansah R, Krishnan R, Arreola-Rissa C, Rivarra F. Strengthening the Prevention and Care of Injuries Worldwide. The Lancet. 2004; 363:2172-2179.
19. Krug EG, Sharma GK, Lozano R. The Global Burden of Injuries. American Journal of Public Health. 2000; 90:523-526.
20. Ahmed E, Chaka T. The Pattern of Orthopaedic Admissions in TikurAnbessa University Hospital, Addis Ababa. Ethiopian Medical Journal. 2005;43:85-91.
21. Bhattacharyya T, Lorio R, Healy WL. Rate of and Risk Factors for Acute Inpatient Mortality after Orthopaedic Surgery. Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, 2002; 84:562- 572.
22. Tan HB, McDonald DA, Matthews SJ, Giannoudis PV. Incidence and Causes of Mortality Following Acute Orthopaedic and Trauma Admissions. Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, 2004; 86:156-160.
23. Elias A, Tezera C. Orthopaedic and Major Limb Trauma at the TikurAnbessa University Hospital, Addis Ababa Ethiopia. East and Central African Journal of Surgery. 2005; 10:43-50.
24. Solagberu BA, Adekanye AO, Ofoegbu CPK, Kuranga SA, Udoffa US, Abdur-Rahman LO, Odelowo EOO. Clinicalspectrum of trauma at a university hospital in Nigeria. Eur J Trauma 2002; 28: 365-9.
25. Gururaj G, Girish N. Issac N. KK Subhakrishna DK, final report of the project “health behavior surveillance” submied to the ministry of health and family welfare. Govt. of India, 2004.
26. Huda N. Parekh P, Rehman M, Afzal M, Siddiquie HQ: Demographic distribution of fractures at a tertiary care hospital in western U.P. (India). A retrospective study, the Journal of Orthopaedics, Traumatology and Rehabilitation, Volume 5, 1, 2012.
27. Jha N, Srinivasa DK, Roy G, Jagdish S. Injury pa ern among road traffic ccident cases: A study from South India. Indian Journal of Community Medicine 2003; 28(2):85-90.
28. Ansari S, Akhdar F, Mandoorah M, Moutaery K. Causes and effects of road traffic accidents in Saudi Arabia. Public Health 2000; 114(1):37-39
29. Romao F, Nizamo H, Mapasse D, Rafico MM, Jose J, Mataruca S, Efron ML, Omondi LO, Leifert T, Bicho JM. Road traffic injuries in Mozambique. Inj Control SafPromot2003; 10(1-2):63-67.
30. Majumdar B, Karmakar R, Bose T, Dasgupta S, Basu R. Some host factors and seasonal variations in the fatal road traffic accidents occurring in eastern suburban Calcu a. Indian J Public Health 1996; 40(2):46-49.
31. Maheshwari J, Mohan D. Road traffic injuries in Delhi: A hospital based study. J Traffic Medicine 1989; 17(3-4):23-27.
32. Banerjee KK, Agarwal BB, Kohli A, Aggarwal NK. Study of head injury victims in fatal road traffic accidents in Delhi. Indian J Med Sci1998; 52(9):395-398.
33. Sharma BR, Harish D, Sharma V, Vij K. Road-traffic accidents- a demographic and topographic analysis. Med Sci Law 2001; 41(3):266-274.
34. Mehta SP. An epidemiological study of road traffic accident cases admied in Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi. Indian J Med Res 1968; 56(4):456-466.
35. Ghosh PK. Epidemiological study of the victims of vehicular accidents in Delhi. J Indian Med Assoc1992; 90(12):309-312.
36. Wick M, Muller EJ, Ekkernkamp A, Muhr G. The motorcyclist: Easy rider or easy victim? An analysis of motorcycle accidents in Germany. Am J Emerg Med 1998; 16(3):320-32.
37. B. Ganveer and R. R. Tiwari, “Injury pa ern among nonfatal road traffic accident cases: A cross-sectional study in central India,” Indian Journal of Medical Sciences. 2005; 59(1):9–12.
38. Qi, D.-L.Yang, F. Qi,Q.-H. Zhang, and J.-P.Wang, “Statistical analysis on 2213 in patients with traffic injuries from January 2003 to September 2005 in Ningbo city,” Chinese Journal of Traumatology. 2006; 9(4):228–233.
39. Gichuhi, “Injury pattern among non-fatal road traffic crash victims,” East African Orthopaedic Journal. 2007; 1:23–25.
40. Thomas V and Lavanya S., Epidemiologic profile of road traffic accident (RCT) cases admitted in a tertiary care hospital -a retrospective study in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, International Journal of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2013; 3:30-36.
41. Malhotra C, Singh MM, Garg S, Malhotra R, Dhaon BK, Mehra M. Paern And Severity of Injuries in victims of Road Traffic Crashes a ending a Tertiary Care Hospital of Delhi Anil Aggarwal’s Internet Journal of Forensic Medicine and Taxicology 2005; 6(2).

Dr Abdul Ghani