Spinal Fractures High Among Teenagers

Spinal fractures in young patients due to motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death amongst teenagers in the United States. Earlier many studies reported rising rates of pediatric spinal injuries, especially in teens aged 15 and older. Recently, Dr. Sarwahi and his colleagues Using the American College of Surgeons' National Trauma Data Bank studied 34,563 pediatric patients (younger than 18 years) who sustained spinal fractures between 2009 and 2014 and published in the journal Spine in Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

The data revealed Two-thirds of spinal fractures due to motor vehicle accidents in teenagers occur between age 15 and 17 years among those who did not use seatbelts.

The study also demonstrates the universality of teenage risk-taking behaviour to identify at-risk groups by the data on seatbelt available for nearly 19,000 patients and wearing seatbelts lowered the risk of death by more than 20 percent and also other types of fractures.

This indicates the need for awareness campaigns to increase seatbelt use among young people and support further studies to outlook the other aspects of potential trauma associated improper seatbelt usage.



Source-Newswise