How Vulnerable Are the Elderly in Road Traffic - Autopsy Study?

Živana  Slović; Ivana  Andrić; Danijela  Todorović; Filip  Mihajlović; Snežana  Đorđević; Olgica  Mihaljević; Miloš  Todorović; Katarina  Vitošević

doi:10.18502/ijph.v53i8.16285

Živana Slović Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
Ivana Andrić Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
Danijela Todorović Department of Genetics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
Filip Mihajlović Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
Snežana Đorđević National Poison Control Centre, Military Medical Academy, Belgrade, Serbia
Olgica Mihaljević Department of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
Miloš Todorović Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
Katarina Vitošević Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijph.v53i8.16285

Keywords: Elderly; Road traffic accidents; Autopsy; Cause of death

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to analyze characteristic and pattern of road traffic injuries in this special aging group, as well to examine the relevance of certain injuries or risk factors to outliving the injuries.

Methods: This epidemiological, analytical, retrospective, autopsy study investigated the road traffic deaths for period between 2001 and 2022. The subjects were divided into two age groups, elderly (65 years and older) and middle aged (16-64 years old).

Results: We included 213 (32%) elderly participants out of all 665 RTA subjects who died from sustained injuries or complications of the injuries. The majority of elderly subjects (61%) were pedestrians, and elderly participants in RTA were more likely to survive the injuries. The most common injuries among the elderly in all group of participants were chest injuries 81% (and among them, rib fractures were present in 76%). Cranio-cerebral injury is the most common cause of death in RTA subjects, singular (45%) or in combination with other causes. In the group of elderly RTA subjects complication of injury is represented in 36 subjects (17%), while as cause of death is represented in 22 subjects (10%). Elderly are less likely to have positive BAC, and even in cases when BAC was increased, the levels were on the lower scale.

Conclusion: More effort should be made to enhance road safety for elderly pedestrians, especially considering the expected rapid growth in the elderly population.