A Radiology Perspective: The Effectiveness of Safety Devices in Patients with Traumatic Head Injury at NAUTH, Nnewi The Effectiveness of Safety Devices in Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Background: Road traffic accidents in Nigeria remain the leading cause of head injuries. The use of helmets, seat belts, and car seats for young children has been advocated to reduce the severity of traumatic head injury (TBI) but the implementation of these gadgets is yet to come into full effect. Objectives: We aim to determine the association between the use of safety devices with the Glasgow coma scale (GCS) and Rotterdam CT score in patients with TBI. Materials and Methods: A total of 170 participants with a traumatic brain injury (TBI) were recruited. A quick GCS examination, and a brain computed tomography (CT) scan was done. Results: A total of 137(80.6%) participants had abnormal CT findings while 33(19.4%) had normal CT findings. 58 participants did not use safety helmets and 14 had a Rotterdam score of 1. All 14 participants who used safety helmets had a Rotterdam score of 1. Rotterdam score of 2-3 was seen in 16(27.6%) participants who did not use safety helmets. The Rotterdam score of 4-6 was recorded in 30(31.7%) participants in patients without safety gear. There was a statistically significant correlation between the use of safety devices and the severity of head injury (assessed by GCS and Rotterdam score) in MCRTA and MVRTA (p < 0.001). A greater proportion without safety devices had severe head injuries. Conclusion: With the use of safety devices, the severity of traumatic head injuries was less.