Motor vehicle accident mortality by elderly drivers in the super-aging era: A nationwide hospital-based registry in Japan

Factors Associated With Driving Status Among Brazilian Older Adults

This study analyzed the factors associated with driving status among older adults in Brazil. The sample consisted of 15,221 older adults (≥65 years) residing in Brazilian capitals in 2018. The following question established the participants' driving status: "Do you drive a car, motorcycle, and/or another vehicle?" Sociodemographic, health conditions, and health-related behaviors were derived through standard procedures. Poisson regression analysis was performed to estimate prevalence ratios and 95% confidence interval. The prevalence of drivers was 28.83%. We found that being physically active during leisure time and higher daily recreational screen time (>3 h/day) were associated with driving status. Self-perceived negative health and being physically active by commuting showed an inverse association with driving status. The high prevalence of older drivers and the characteristics associated with driving reinforces the importance of public policy strategies for these individuals.

Lifestyle Matters: Effects of Habitual Physical Activity on Driving Skills in Older Age

Research on multitasking driving has suggested age-related deterioration in driving performance. It has been shown that physical and cognitive functioning, which are related to driving performance and decline with aging, are positively associated with physical activity behavior. This study aimed to explore whether driving performance decline becomes severe with advancing age and whether physical activity behavior modifies age-related deterioration in driving performance. A total of one hundred forty-one healthy adults were categorized into three groups based on their age; old-old (74.21 ± 2.33 years), young-old (66.53 ± 1.50 years), and young adults (23.25 ± 2.82 years). Participants completed a realistic multitasking driving task. Physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness levels were evaluated. Older groups drove more slowly and laterally than young adults, and old-old adults drove slower than young-old ones across the whole driving course. Physical activity level did not interact with the aging effect on driving performance, whereas cardiovascular fitness interacted. Higher-fitness young-old and young adults drove faster than higher-fitness old-old adults. Higher-fitness old adults drove more laterally than higher-fitness young adults. The present study demonstrated a gradual decline in driving performance in old adults, and cardiorespiratory fitness interacted with the aging effect on driving performance. Future research on the interaction of aging and physical activity behavior on driving performance in different age groups is of great value and may help deepen our knowledge.

Assessing the impact of the national traffic safety campaign: a nationwide cohort study in Japan

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to examine the difference in mortality from serious road traffic injuries during the National Traffic Safety Campaign compared with other periods and identify the common mechanisms of injury by age group in Japan.

DESIGN

A retrospective review of Japan Trauma Data Bank (JTDB).

SETTING

A total of 280 participating major emergency institutions across Japan.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients with road traffic injuries registered in JTDB between 2004 and 2018 were recruited in the study. We included patients injured by traffic crashes during the National Traffic Safety Campaigns and controls using a double control method. The National Traffic Safety Campaign comprises 10 consecutive days in spring and fall (20 days in each year), and controls was the same calendar days 2 weeks before and after the days in the National Traffic Safety Campaigns (40 days in each year) to control for weekday, seasonal and yearly trends.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. The secondary outcome was the incidences of severe traffic injury.

RESULTS

Among 126 857 patients recorded as road traffic injuries in JTDB, we identified 6181 patients (21 cases per day) with injuries occurring during the National Traffic Safety Campaigns and 12 382 controls (21 cases per day). The overall in-hospital mortality was 11.4%. We did not observe a significant difference in in-hospital mortality between the groups (11.8% vs 11.1%) with an adjusted OR of 1.05 (95% CI 0.95 to 1.16). The most common mechanism of injury in each age group was bicycle crash among children, motorcycle crash among adults and pedestrian among the elderly.

CONCLUSIONS

We found no change in the incidence of severe traffic injury or in-hospital mortality during the National Traffic Safety Campaign in Japan. Serious road trauma was high for bicycles among children, motorcycles among adults and pedestrian among the elderly.

Analysis of the regional distribution of road traffic mortality and associated factors in Japan

BACKGROUND

Regional differences in road traffic (RT) mortality among municipalities have not been revealed in Japan. Further, the association between RT mortality and regional socioeconomic characteristics has not been investigated. We analyzed geographic differences in RT mortality and its associated factors using the Vital Statistics in Japan.

METHODS

We used data on RT mortality by sex and municipality in Japan from 2013 to 2017. We calculated the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) of RT for each municipality by sex using an Empirical Bayes method. The SMRs were mapped onto a map of Japan to show the geographic differences. In addition, an ecological study investigated the municipal characteristics associated with the SMR using demographic socioeconomic, medical, weather, and vehicular characteristics as explanatory variables. The ecological study used a spatial statistical model.

RESULTS

The mapping revealed that the number of municipalities with a high SMR of RT (SMR > 2) was larger in men than in women. In addition, SMRs of capital areas (Kanagawa and Tokyo prefectures) tended to be low in men and women. The regression analysis revealed that population density was negatively associated with the SMR in men and women, and the degree of the association was the largest among explanatory variables. In contrast, there was a positive association between the proportion of non-Japanese persons and SMR. The proportions of lower educational level (elementary school or junior high school graduates), agriculture, forestry, and fisheries workers, service workers, and blue-collar workers were positively associated with the SMR in men. The proportion of unemployed persons was negatively associated with the SMR in men.

CONCLUSIONS

Socioeconomic characteristics are associated with geographic differences in RT mortality particularly in men. The results suggested preventive measures targeted at men of low socioeconomic status and non-Japanese persons are needed to decrease RT mortality further.

Cardiac injury following blunt chest trauma: diagnosis, management, and uncertainty

Due to the evolving nature of injuries caused by high-speed motor vehicle accidents, the incidence rate of blunt chest trauma is continuously increasing. Blunt cardiac injury (BCI) is a potentially lethal entity as a result of trauma to the chest. Due to its indistinct clinical presentation and heterogeneous definition, BCI might be missed during the initial survey of trauma patients in the acute care setting. Additionally, unnecessary operation in hemodynamically stable patients in whom the extent of cardiac injury has not been thoroughly evaluated might result in adverse clinical outcome. Due to ongoing advances in the diagnostic modalities and minimally invasive procedures in the acute care and trauma setting, patients with blunt trauma to the chest, who are also suspected of having a BCI, can be monitored with more confidence and managed accordingly as the clinical scenario evolves. While low-yield diagnostics such as chest X ray, electrocardiogram, and a bedside ultrasonography are still routinely performed in patients with suspected BCI, high-yield modalities such as computed tomography, highly sensitive cardiac biomarkers, and transesophageal echocardiography are all a next step in the management approach. In either case, the clinical judgment of the medical team plays a pivotal role in transition to the next step with adequate resuscitation remaining an inevitable part.

Driving-Related Adverse Events in the Elderly Men: A Population-Based Prospective Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE

This study estimated the incidence of driving-related adverse events and examined the association of cognitive function with the risk of future driving-related adverse events in the elderly Korean male population.

METHODS

We analyzed 1,172 male drivers aged 60 years or older in the Korean Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Aging and Dementia (KLOSCAD). Using the data from Korean National Police Agency, we classified the participants into three groups: safe driving (drove for 2 years after baseline without a traffic accident or repeated violations), driving cessation (stopped driving), and risky driving (one or more traffic accidents or repeated violations). We estimated the incidences of driving cessation and risky driving, and examined the effect of cognitive function on their risks.

RESULTS

The incidence of driving cessation and risky driving in the Korean male drivers aged 60 years or older was 19.3 and 69.9 per 1,000 person-years respectively and increased in the late 80s. Drivers with better baseline Word List Memory Test scores showed less risky driving (OR=0.94, p=0.039).

CONCLUSION

Driving-related adverse events increased in late 80s, and better memory function was protective against these events.

Factors influencing vehicle passenger fatality have changed over 10 years: a nationwide hospital-based study

Traffic injury trends have changed with safety developments. To establish effective preventive measures against traffic fatalities, the factors influencing fatalities must be understood. The present study evaluated data from a national medical database to determine the changes in these factors over time, as this has not been previously investigated. This observational study retrospectively analysed data from the Japanese Trauma Data Bank. Vehicle passengers involved in collisions from 2004–2008 and 2016–2017 were included. Data were compared between the two study periods, and between fatal and non-fatal patients within each period. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the factors influencing fatalities. In 2016–2017, patients were older and had lower fatality rates. In 2004–2008, fatalities were more likely to involve older male front-seat passengers with low d-BP, BT, and GCS values, and high AIS of the neck and abdomen. However, in 2016–2017, fatalities were more likely to involve older males with low GCS, high AIS of the abdomen, and positive focused assessment with sonography for trauma results. Our study identified independent factors influencing vehicle passenger fatalities, which will likely continue to evolve with the aging of the population and changing manners of injury.

Prevalence of older drivers in Brazil: results from Vigitel 2018

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of Brazilian older adults who drive a car/ride a motorcycle, according to sociodemographic characteristics. METHODS: This cross-sectional study uses data from the 2018 Surveillance System for Risk and Protective Factors for Chronic Diseases by Telephone Survey (Vigitel). The prevalence of drivers was determined by an affirmative answer to the following question: “Do you drive a car, motorcycle and/or other vehicle?”. RESULTS: Among the 15,333 individuals aged 65 and over living in Brazilian capitals and the Federal District, the overall prevalence of drivers was 28.73% (95%CI 27.22 – 30.29) and was higher among men (53.37%; 95%CI 50.45 – 56.28), those with higher education (65.44%; 95%CI 61.98 – 68.75), and individuals aged 65 to 69 years (35.7%; 95%CI 33.06 – 38.61). Among the regions of Brazil, prevalence varied from 35% (Midwest and South) to approximately 22% (North and Northeast). Florianopolis (42.2%; 95%CI 38.05 – 46.47) and Palmas (40.32%; 95%CI 32.74 – 48.38) were the cities with the highest prevalence of older drivers. CONCLUSIONS: Characteristics such as sex, age group, region, and state capital of residence affect the prevalence of older drivers. Our results contribute to knowledge about how older adults choose to move around in large Brazilian cities, enabling proposal of strategies to improve the quality of this population’s displacement.

Factors associated with posttraumatic meningitis among traumatic head injury patients: a nationwide study in Japan

Purpose

Posttraumatic meningitis is one of the severe complications that can result in increased mortality and longer hospital stay among trauma patients. Factors such as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) fistula and basilar skull fracture are associated with posttraumatic meningitis. However, it remains unclear whether procedures such as burr hole surgery in the emergency department and decompressive craniectomy are associated with posttraumatic meningitis. The aim of this study was to assess factors associated with posttraumatic meningitis with a nationwide hospital-based trauma registry in Japan.

Methods

This was a retrospective observational study with a 12-year study period from January 2004 to December 2015. We included trauma patients registered in the Japanese Trauma Data Bank, whose head Abbreviated Injury Scale score was ≥ 3 in this study. The main endpoint was the occurrence of meningitis during hospitalization. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess independent parameters associated with posttraumatic meningitis such as CSF fistula, burr hole surgery in the emergency department, and decompressive craniectomy.

Results

Among 60,390 head injury patients with head AIS score 3 or more, 284 (0.5%) patients had posttraumatic meningitis. Factors associated with posttraumatic meningitis were burr hole surgery in the emergency department (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.158 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.401–3.325]), decompressive craniectomy (AOR 2.123 [95% CI 1.506–2.993]), external ventricular drainage (AOR 1.843 [95% CI, 1.157–2.935]), CSF leakage (AOR 3.328 [95% CI 2.205–5.022]), and basilar skull fracture (AOR 1.651 [95% CI 1.178–2.314]).

Conclusions

In this population of trauma patients, burr hole surgery in the emergency department and decompressive craniectomy was associated with posttraumatic meningitis.