Seat belt usage reduces the severity of injury, hospital stay, and number of operations in injured patients. Seat belt compliance is low in our community. More legal enforcement of seat belt usage is mandatory to reduce the severity of injury caused by RTCs.

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The mechanisms and outcome of trauma in hospitalized elderly patients were studied. The data of Al-Ain Hospital Trauma Registry were prospectively collected over a period of 3 years (2003)(2004)(2005)(2006). All elderly trauma-patients above 60 years who were admitted to surgical ward or who died on arrival were studied. Demography of patients, mechanism of injury, Injury Severity Score (ISS), hospital stay and mortality were analyzed. There were 121 patients (70 males and 51 females). Mean (range) age was 69 years (60-100), 42% were United Arab Emirates (UAE) nationals. The two most common mechanisms of injury were falls (55%) followed by road traffic collisions (RTC) (32%). The median (range) ISS of the group was 5 (1-34). The ISS median (interquartile range) of falling down, RTC, and fall from height were 4 (4-9), 6 (4-10), and 8 (5-9), respectively ( p = 0.31). Forty-one percentage of injuries occurred at home. The mean (range) hospital stay was 12.4 (1-150) days. Six patients (5%) were admitted to the intensive care unit. Overall mortality was 6% (7 patients), of whom 5 were pedestrians hit by cars. We concluded that low-energy trauma from falls was the most common cause of injury in the elderly. Mortality was high mainly from pedestrian injuries. #

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Background: Trauma is a leading cause of death in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). There have been major developments in the trauma system in Al-Ain City during the last two decades. We aimed to study the effects of these developments on the trauma pattern, severity, and clinical outcome of hospitalized trauma patients in Al-Ain City, United Arab Emirates. Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of two separate sets of prospectively collected trauma registry data of Al-Ain Hospital. Data were collected over two periods: from March 2003 to March 2006 and from January 2014 to December 2017. Demography, injury mechanism, injury location, and clinical outcomes of 2573 trauma patients in the first period were compared with 3519 patients in the second period. Results: Trauma incidence decreased by 38.2% in Al-Ain City over the last 10 years. Trauma to females, UAE nationals, and the geriatric population significantly increased over time (p < 0.0001, Fisher's exact test for each). Falls on the same level significantly increased over time, while road traffic collisions and falls from height significantly decreased over time (p < 0.0001, Fisher's exact test for each). Mortality significantly decreased over time (2.3% compared with 1%, p < 0.0001, Fisher's exact test). Conclusions: Developments in the trauma system of our city have reduced mortality in hospitalized trauma patients by 56% despite an increased severity of injury. Furthermore, the injury incidence in our city decreased by 38.2% over the last decade. This was mainly in road traffic collisions and work-related injuries. Nevertheless, falls on the same level in the geriatric population continue to be a significant problem that needs to be addressed.