Morbidity and mortality patterns of pedestrian injuries by age at the Puerto Rico Trauma Hospital from 2000 to 2014

Abstract This study evaluates morbidity and mortality patterns of 2,093 pedestrian injuries at the Puerto Rico Trauma Hospital during 2000–2014 by age. Most were male between the ages of 35–64, with the highest occurrence of injuries during 8pm-4am. The most common injury was lower extremity injuries (46.6%), followed by intracranial injuries (35.5%), except in the youngest age group where the opposite pattern was observed. Pedestrians in the 65–74 and 75–84 age groups had a greater proportion of upper extremity fractures (31.1% and 32.7%, respectively) and those in the 55–64 and 65–74 groups had a higher proportion of lower extremity fractures (43.8%), compared to the youngest group. Hepatic injuries (13.4%) commonly affected subjects <16 years, whereas older patients frequently sustained rib, sternum, larynx and trachea fractures. Compared to the youngest group, the risk of death increased 14-fold (95%CI: 5.90, 33.18) and 24.6-fold (95%CI: 8.10, 74.41) in those aged 65–74 and older than 84, respectively. Given these findings, implementing pedestrian safety legislation, educational programs, urban planning and preventive measures must be tailored to the needs of each age group.