Written By: Shraddha Rupavate | Updated : May 30, 2014 3:51 PM IST
According to the World Health Organizations (WHO) Global Safety Report on Road Safety 2013, road accidents and injuries is the 8th leading cause of death globally and by 2030 it is predicted to become the 5th leading cause of death, unless any action is being taken. Here are some other facts on road accidents relevant to India:
These figures display a disturbing trend. While the government and the global Road Safety Commission work towards implementing good practices in road safety, the only chance of survival for the accident victims remains emergency care and treatment they receive within the first hour of the tragedy (called the golden hour).
Dr Navneet Singh, Director, Emergency Medicine and trauma at Rockland Group of hospitals explains necessary emergency care given to such victims.
What immediate action should people take when they witness an accident? (for ex: in case the person is bleeding profusely or is unconscious)
Dr Singh: The first thing is to put the patient off the site and check if he is breathing or not. If yes, then put the victim on his back and don't surround him closely. One should find out if there is any visible bleeding. If yes, then one should cover the bleeding area and press it until help arrives.
Don't feed the victim water or don't try to make him sit. Don't pull the victim holding his hands and legs. If there is any visible fracture or deformity, then one should support the area with a hard surface like wood or a wooden plate under the affected part and immobilise it using a cloth.
In case the victim is not breathing, then try to open his mouth gently to ensure that there is nothing like food particles or blood in his mouth. If you notice there's something in his mouth, then take a cloth and clean it. If the victim is still not breathing, then mouth to mouth breathing is required. Open the mouth, seal your lips with the victim, close the nostrils and breathe in his mouth. Keep doing it until help arrives.
What is the immediate emergency treatment given to the victims when presented at the hospital?
Dr Singh: Once the patient is brought to the hospital, the first thing done by the doctor on duty is examining all the vital signs of the patient. Depending on the vitals and the diagnosis, management is required. But a thorough examination of the body as a whole in the form of whole body CT scan should be done immediately to rule out any injury to the lungs, abdomen and the brain. This examination needs to be done immediately as injuries can be fairly dangerous and the patient can die within no time.
What are the complications involved?
Dr Singh: If the initial examination is delayed or not managed properly, complications may develop, especially if the internal organs are injured. The patient could bleed from vital organs like liver, spleen (due to rupture) can lose his life. Head injury can lead to loss of vital functions and death. The patient may enter a vegetative state, where consciousness of the patient is affected due to brain injury. There are several complications which can't be covered all here but above mentioned complications are the most dangerous and life threatening complications after road traffic accidents and they are the most common mode of death in such patients.
What are the long-term effects on the health of the patient?
Long-term effect of a road accident on the victim depends on how severe the accident was and how effective was the first aid and emergency care given to him within the first hour of the incident.
Dr Singh: Thepatient can be prolonged bed ridden. He may lose his affected organ because of extensive blood loss. A head injury can hamper his day-to-day life forever. Plus, there is an increased burden of cost in case of extended stay in the hospital. Moreover, the effect of such an incident on the patient's relatives can't be measured but is immense.
Timely help during the 'golden hour' and an early goal directed therapy provided by a quick response trauma team of a good hospital can definitely change the results in a drastic way and reduce mortality and morbidity in such patients to a very large extent.
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