Trauma aetiology and cost in the Accident and Emergency Unit of the University Hospital of the West Indies.

Trauma accounted for 37% of 22,311 patients seen in the Accident and Emergency Unit (A&E Unit) at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) during 1996. Thirty-nine per cent of injuries were intentional and 18% were due to motor vehicle accidents. Knives, machetes and rocks accounted for 75% of the injuries compared with 5% for gunshot wounds. Passengers were injured in about 40% of motor vehicle accidents and pedestrians in 19%. The admission rate was 16% and the orthopaedic clinic received 75% of the patients referred to specialist clinics. Victims of motor vehicle accidents made up a greater proportion of admissions (24%) than those of intentional violence (13%). The average cost of caring for each patient in the A&E unit was US$70 resulting in an annual cost of US$578,000.