Descriptive Pattern of Fractures among Motor Bike Riders Presenting in Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi

Objective: To determine the frequency of fractures among motor bike accidents presented in emergency department of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi.

Methodology: A Cross-sectional study was conducted in Emergency department (ER) of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) of Karachi. A validated questionnaire was used and study was carried out from February 2015 to October 2015. The interviews were carried out by trained data collectors. All motorcycle riders of any age presented in ER are included in this study. The study did not include those patients who had injuries other than fractures. Frequency and percentages were reported for categorical variables while mean and standard deviation for continuous variables. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20 with 95% confidence interval, margin of error was taken as 5% and P-value 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: Among the study sample of 366 patients, mean age was 29.86 ± 11.41. Most of those (61.2%) were in the age group of ≤30 years and single (53.8%). The greatest number of motor bike accidents (66.4%) were seen on working days. Distal portion of the lower limb (Tibia/Fibula) was most frequently involved in these accidents (40.43%). Among all fractures, 83.1% fractures were at single sites and 86.9% had close fractures. Maximum accidents occurred (48.4%) were in the areas with poor light and 74.6% of these incidents were on the main roads. During riding, 9% were smoking and 18.6% using their mobile phone. Positive association was found between occurrence of multiple fractures and speed, mirror status and inspection interval of motor bikes (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Motor bike riders are very prone to road traffic accidents (RTA) leading to fractures and soft tissue injuries. Distal portion of the limb is the most common site involved. Preventive measures are important in avoiding these accidents.