Objective: The State of Connecticut has a partial motorcycle helmet law, which has been linked to one of the lowest helmet compliance rates in the Northeast. We examine the clinical and financial impact of low motorcycle helmet use in the State of Connecticut.
Methods: A retrospective cohort study comparing the outcomes between helmeted and nonhelmeted motorcycle crash victims over a 12.5-year period, from July 2, 2002, to December 31, 2013. All patients who were admitted to the hospital after a motorcycle crash were included in the study. Patients were stratified into helmeted and nonhelmeted cohorts. Group differences were compared using t-test or Wilcoxon rank test for continuous variables and chi-square test for dichotomous outcomes. Regression models were created to evaluate predictors of helmet use, alcohol and drugs as confounding variables, and factors that influenced hospital costs.
Results: The registry included 986 eligible patients. Of this group, 335 (34%) were helmeted and 651 (66%) were nonhelmeted. Overall, nonhelmeted patients had a worse clinical presentation, with lower Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS; P <.01), higher Injury Severity Score (ISS; P <.01), higher incidence of loss of consciousness (LOC; P <.01), longer intensive care unit (ICU; P <.01) admissions, and higher incidence of head (P <.01) or face injuries (P <.01). Nonhelmeted patients were also twice as more likely to die from their injuries (P =.04, odds ratio [OR] = 1.89, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02–3.45). Financially, nonhelmeted patients incurred mean hospital costs of $18,458, whereas helmeted patients incurred $14,970 (P =.18). ISS, GCS, and ICU length of stay were significantly correlated with increased hospital costs (P <.01). Not using a helmet was a significant predictor of mortality (P =.04) after adjusting for alcohol/drug use and age.
Conclusions: Helmet use is associated with lower injury severity and increased survival after a motorcycle crash. These outcomes remained consistent even after controlling for age and alcohol and drug use. The medical and financial impact of Connecticut's partial helmet law should be carefully evaluated to petition for increased education and enforcement of helmet use. 相似文献
This research analyses urban expansion patterns and their eco-risks in the Poyang Lake region in China. A hybrid model consisting of auto-logistic regression, Markov chain and cellular automata (CA) is designed to improve the performance of the standard logistic regression model. An eco-risk assessment (ERA) index by integrating landscape fragmentation index and area weighted eco-service value index is established to promote the effectiveness for dynamically evaluating the environment and eco-security in watersheds. Scenario predictions are introduced to better understand the relationship between urban dynamics and their eco-risks. Three urban development scenarios such as historical development trend (HDT), environment protection priority (EPP) and goal-oriented restriction (GOR) are designed and transplanted into the CA model through the parameter self-modification method. The quantitative analysis results showed that in the period of the past five years, the urban growth primarily concentrated in the metropolitans. The simulations show that under the HDT scenario the urban growth will mainly emerge in the metropolitans, while under the EPP and GOR scenarios the urban growth will expand along with the metropolitans or the road networks and highways, respectively. Moreover, the ERA demonstrated that the GOR scenario was more effective in meeting the goal of environment protection and urban sustainable development for the study area. 相似文献
Flower-, wire-, and sheet-like MnO2-deposited diatomites have been prepared using a hydrothermal method with Mn(Ac)2, KMnO4and/or MnSO4 as Mn source and diatomite as support. Physical properties of the materials were characterized by means of numerous analytical techniques, and their behaviors in the adsorption of chromium(VI) were evaluated.It is shown that the MnO2-deposited diatomite samples with different morphologies possessed high surface areas and abundant surface hydroxyl groups(especially the wire-like MnO2/diatomite sample). The wire-like MnO2/diatomite sample showed the best performance in the removal of Cr(VI), giving the maximum Cr(VI) adsorption capacity of 101 mg/g. 相似文献