The impact of motorcycle accidents in the Emergency Network of the Metropolitan Region of Greater Vitória, Espírito Santo state, Brazil

Abstract

Introduction: Traffic accidents cause approximately 1.35 million deaths per year worldwide, with pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists being the most susceptible, constituting a significant public health problem. Objective: To evaluate the victims of motorcycle accidents treated in the Emergency Care Network of the Metropolitan Region of Greater Vitória, Espírito Santo. Method: Observational study of a prospective cohort of 80 motorcycle accident victims attended by the Mobile Emergency Care Service (SAMU 192) and the State Emergency Hospital between January 1 and April 31, 2021. Data on social, demographic, and clinical profiles were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, with hospital admission as the outcome. Results: The majority of victims were male (85.0%), aged 25 to 34 years (41.3%), with a mean age of 33.3 years, treated in the afternoon (37.5%), and on Fridays (25.0%), mainly due to collisions (66.3%), with yellow Manchester severity (80.0%). There were 17 hospitalizations (21.3%), with an average stay of 4.1 days, and 1.3% required admission to the intensive care unit. Risk factors for hospitalization: polytrauma (p = 0.043), major trauma (p = 0.023), computed tomography (p = 0.011), laboratory tests (p < 0.001), blood transfusion (p = 0.006), and surgical treatment (p < 0.001). The hospital mortality rate was 5.9%. Conclusion: The study highlights the need to improve public health policies focused on preventing motorcycle traffic accidents and integrating the Emergency Care Network Services.