The Application Of Forensic Clinical Medicine And Mechanism Of Spine Injuries On Road Traffic Accident

Objective:To investigate the characteristics of spine injuries by road traffic accident; to analyze injury degree, disability assessment, the post-medical treatment costs and related factors of spine injuries; to provide scientific evidence for Forensic Medicine identification of spine injuries caused by road traffic accident. Method: According to the retrospective statistical analysis, 469 cases of spine injuries caused by road traffic accident in Kunming from 2008 to 2009 were collected for statistics analysis study. Results:In the 469 cases with spine injuries caused by road traffic accident, including 175 cases of injury degree evaluation (37.3%), disability assessment 200 cases (42.6%) and the post-medical treatment costs evaluation 298 cases (63.5%). The injury characteristics:Comparisons of different modes of transportation, most of the injuries were passengers and Comparison of different types of vehicles, most were buses. The most injury site was lumbar in spine injuries(50.3%); Most of the injury type was fracture (87.2%). Most of the joint injury was soft tissue, accounting for 39.2%, among which 36.0% are in the single site combined injury. Results of Indentification of the injury degree:30 cases (17.1%) with serious injury,144 cases (82.0%) with minor injury,1 case (1.0%) with slight injury. Most of the cases were assessmented within one month (87.4%). Results of the disability assessment:Most of the cases for the disabled were X grade (14.5%). The time of disability assessment was between 90 and 120 days after injury (33.5%). Assessment of the post-medical treatment costs concentrated between 2,001 and 6, 000 RMB Yuan accounted for 56.8%; assessment time ranged from two to six months (84.0%). Conclusion:1. Among 469 cases of the spine injuries caused by road traffic accident, by modes of transportation, most were passengers; in vehicle type, most were buses; in injury site, most were lumbar spine; in injury type, most were fractures; in the number of vertebral injury, most was single; in joint injury, most were soft tissue and single site combined injury.2. Minor injury was main injury in 175 cases and the identificated time was mainly within one month. The injury assessment is relevant to vehicle type, site of combined injury, was unrelated to transport mode and assessment time.3. The mild disability was main types in cases and the time limit was mainly within 6 months after injury. Identification of injury should take into account of relevant factors, that is, site of injury, number of vertebral injury, type of injury, combined injury and assessment time, was unrelated to transport mode and vehicle type.4. Assessment of the post-medical treatment costs were not high, and related something to do with site of injury, number of vertebral injury, type of injury, combined injury, degree of disability, the necessity for surgery or secondary surgery, and hospital stay.