• K N Ozoilo, H C Nwadiaro, D Iya, and A Z Sule.
• Surgery Department, Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos. Plateau State, Nigeria.
• West Afr J Med. 2012 Jan 1; 31 (1): 52-7.

BackgroundThe leading cause of morbidity and mortality from the end of the first year of life to the forty fifth is trauma. This is true worldwide but especially so in our environment. In no other situation are the complexities of the management of trauma more manifest than in the context of polytrauma. For this we undertake to study the problem of polytrauma in Jos.Aims And ObjectivesTo determine the frequency and pattern of occurrence of poly trauma in Jos university teaching hospital.Patients And MethodsConsecutive patients presenting with polytrauma to the casualty department were prospectively studied. Data regarding demographics and a detailed description of injuries were entered into a proforma and collated over a one-year period.ResultsA total of 131 patients were studied. There were 103 males and 28 females giving a male to female ratio of 3.7:1. The ages ranged from 2 to 61 years with a mean of 28.4 ± 12.4 years. Road traffic accident was the most common aetiology in 113 (86.3%) patients, while falls 7 (5.3%), gunshots 5 (3.8%) and assaults 2 (1.6%) were observed. The most frequently encountered injuries were head, extremity and chest in 71.8%, 68.5% and 29.2% respectively. The combinations most frequently observed were head\extremity (43.5%), head\chest (17.6%) and chest\extremity (10.7%) injuries. Complications were observed in 20.6% while death occurred in 7.6%.ConclusionPolytrauma occurs with sufficient frequency to warrant serious attention. As majority follow RTA, there is a need to intensify measures aimed at improving road safety. There is also a need to establish pre-hospital care\ambulance services. It is suggested that improved orthopaedic and neurosurgical care will lead to improved polytrauma care and most importantly, the establishment of dedicated trauma teams in tertiary institutions is proposed as a prelude to the establishment of regional trauma centers.

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