Mortality of motorcyclists with traumatic injuries resulting from traffic accidents in Sao Jose dos Campos city, Brazil, in 2015: a cohort study

Objective: To analyze factors associated with mortality from traumatic injuries among motorcyclists. Methods: This was a prospective cohort conducted at the Municipal Hospital of Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil, in 2015. Motorcyclists with traumatic injuries, >= 14 years old and hospitalized were included. Sociodemographic, accident and hospitalization variables were analyzed by applying a Poisson regression model showing relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). Results: Among 190 motorcyclists, 161 (84.7%) young men were found to have 422 (41.8%) injuries to the lower and upper extremities. Incidence of death increased as physiological injury severity (RR= 9.67 [95%CI 1.46;64.26] and RR= 4.71 [95%CI 1.36;16.261), and anatomical injury severity (RR= 31.49 [95%CI 3.72;266.38]) increased, but was lower within up to one week of hospitalization (RR= 0.39 [95%CI 0.15;0.98]). Conclusion: Injury severity and length of hospital stay were associated with motorcyclist deaths. Further studies should be conducted to confirm these findings and to analyze the relationships in greater detail.