McDonald A, Ali J, Mitchell D I, Newnham M S, Barnett A, Williams E, Martin A
Department of Surgery, Radiology, Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, University of the West Indies, Kingston 7, Jamaica, West Indies.
West Indian Med J. 2003 Sep;52(3):208-12.
Data from the Road Safety Unit in the Ministry of Transport and Works, Jamaica, show an increase in road traffic accidents from 7861 in 1991 to 11,010 in 1999. The average number of deaths annually was 380 +/- 48 (SD) while injuries averaged 3320 +/- 262 per year. This represents an injury to death ratio of 8.7 compared with 24.9 for Trinidad and Tobago and 40 for Canada. During the period 1991 to 2000, an average of 796 +/- 159 (SD) murders were committed annually. The number of murders increased by over 280 per cent between the decade of the seventies and the nineties. Data from the trauma registry of the University Hospital of the West Indies showed that 29.6 per cent of all admissions to the surgical ward between January 1998 and December 31, 2000, were due to injuries. There were 97 deaths (3%) during this period and 33 occurred in the Accident and Emergency Department with 70 per cent occurring within 120 minutes of their arrival. The Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) Programme emphasizes the resuscitation and stabilization of injured patients in the first few hours after injury. Most Emergency Departments in Jamaica are staffed by relatively junior medical officers and the low injury to death ratio among victims of motor vehicle accidents may be due to suboptimal care. Introduction of an ATLS programme in Jamaica may reduce the number of preventable deaths and also stimulate interest in trauma care thus increasing preventative measures to decrease the high incidence of trauma in Jamaica.
牙买加交通和工程部长交通安全部门的数据显示，道路交通事故从1991年的7861起增加到1999年的11010起。每年平均死亡人数为380±48（标准差），而每年受伤人数平均为3320±262。这表明受伤与死亡的比例为8.7，相比之下，特立尼达和多巴哥为24.9，加拿大为40。在1991年至2000年期间，每年平均发生796±159（标准差）起谋杀案。谋杀案数量在20世纪70年代到90年代这十年间增加了超过280%。西印度大学医院创伤登记处的数据显示，在1998年1月1日至2000年12月31日期间，外科病房所有入院病例中有29.6%是因受伤所致。在此期间有97人死亡（3%），其中33人在急诊科死亡，70%在到达后120分钟内死亡。高级创伤生命支持（ATLS）计划强调在受伤后的最初几个小时内对受伤患者进行复苏和稳定治疗。牙买加的大多数急诊科配备的是相对初级的医务人员，机动车事故受害者中较低的受伤与死亡比例可能是由于护理不充分。在牙买加引入ATLS计划可能会减少可预防的死亡人数，还会激发对创伤护理的兴趣，从而增加预防措施以降低牙买加创伤的高发病率。
