• Dooruh Choi, Kang Hyun Lee, Oh Hyun Kim, Joon Seok Kong, Chan Young Kang, and Yeon Il Choo.
• Center for Automotive Medical Science Institute, Wonju Severance Christian Hospital, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, 20 Ilsan‑ro, Wonju, Gangwon‑do, 26426, South Korea.
• Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg. 2023 Dec 1; 49 (6): 242924372429-2437.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to investigate the effect of age and collision direction on the severity of thoracic injuries based on a real-world crash database.MethodsThis was a retrospective, observational study. We used the Korean In-Depth Accident Study (KIDAS) database, which was collected from crash injury patients who visited emergency medical centers between January 2011 and February 2022 in Korea. Among the 4520 patients enrolled in the database, we selected 1908 adult patients with abbreviated injury scale (AIS) scores between 0 and 6 in the thoracic region. We classified patients with an AIS score of 3 or higher into the severe injury group.ResultsThe incidence rate of severe thoracic injuries due to motor vehicle accidents was 16.4%. Between the severe and non-severe thoracic injury groups, there were significant differences in sex, age, collision direction, crash object, seatbelt use, and delta-V parameters. Among the age groups, over 55 years occupants had a higher risk in the thoracic regions than those under 54 years occupants. The risk of severe thoracic injury was highest in near-side collisions in all collision directions. Far-side and rear-end collisions showed a lower risk than frontal collisions. Occupants with unfastened seatbelts were at greater risk.ConclusionsThe risk of severe thoracic injury is high in near-side collisions among elderly occupants. However, the risk of injury for elderly occupants increases in a super-aging society. To reduce thoracic injury, safety features made for elderly occupants in near-side collisions are required.© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.

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