scholarly journals Sleep Disorders and Risk of Motor Vehicle Accident

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-77
Author(s):  
Soo Hwan Yim ◽  
Jae Wook Cho ◽  
Jun-Sang Sunwoo ◽  
Daeyoung Kim ◽  
Dae Lim Koo ◽  
...  

Driving is a complicated process that demands coordination between a range of neurocognitive functions, including attention, visuo-perception, and appropriate judgment, as well as sensory and motor responses. Therefore, several factors may reduce the driving performance of an individual, such as sleepiness, distraction, overspeeding, alcohol consumption, and sedative drugs, all of which increase the hazard of motor vehicle accidents. Among them, drowsy driving is a major cause of traffic accidents, leading to more serious injuries as compared to other causes of major traffic accidents. Although sleep disorders have been highly associated among drowsy drivers, they are often untreated and unrecognized as a disease. In particular, obstructive sleep apnea and narcolepsy are some sleep disorders that are highly related to traffic accidents. Insomnia, which can cause inadequate sleep duration and promote sedative effects from sleeping pills, may also cause traffic accidents. These conditions are especially applicable to commercial bus or truck drivers, nocturnal workers, and shift workers, who are highly vulnerable to drowsy driving. Therefore, assertive screening and management of sleep disorders are necessary in general private drivers and relevant occupational drivers.

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 137-144
Author(s):  
Jae Wook Cho ◽  
Jun-Sang Sunwoo ◽  
Soo Hwan Yim ◽  
Daeyoung Kim ◽  
Dae Lim Koo ◽  
...  

Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder characterized by irresistible sleep attacks, hypersomnolence, cataplexy (sudden loss of muscle tone provoked by emotion), and sleep paralysis. Individuals with narcolepsy are at a high risk of experiencing sleepiness while driving leading to road traffic accidents. To prevent such accidents, some countries have regulations for commercial and noncommercial drivers with narcolepsy. Evaluating sleepiness is essential. Therefore, several subjective reports and objective tests were used to predict the possibility of car crashes or near-misses. Brain stimulants are effective in treating narcolepsy and can reduce daytime sleepiness in these patients. However, no guideline has been established for the driving safety of patients with narcolepsy in Korea. The Korean Sleep Research Society has prepared this proposal for preventing motor vehicle accidents caused by drowsy driving in patients with narcolepsy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 127-136
Author(s):  
Jun-Sang Sunwoo ◽  
Jae Wook Cho ◽  
Soo Hwan Yim ◽  
Daeyoung Kim ◽  
Dae Lim Koo ◽  
...  

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is known to be associated with various health concerns, including sleepiness, fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, diminished quality of life, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and stroke. OSA-induced sleepiness at the wheel reduces vigilance and driving performance, which significantly increase the risk of motor vehicle accidents. Sleepiness-induced motor vehicle accidents are characterized by high morbidity and mortality. OSA is a well-established significant risk factor for drowsy driving-related motor vehicle accidents, which can be prevented through appropriate treatment. However, currently no clinical guidelines or regulations are available for evaluation or management of the risk of motor vehicle accidents in patients with OSA in Korea. In this review, we discuss the risk of motor vehicle accidents in patients with OSA, the effects of positive airway pressure therapy as a preventive measure to reduce this risk, and the published recommendations for OSA in other countries with regard to fitness to drive. We propose recommendations for screening, evaluation, and treatment of OSA with regard to the risk of motor vehicle accidents, which would serve as useful practical guidelines for sleep specialists in clinical practice. Further research is warranted to establish optimal strategies for effective improvements in OSA-related traffic safety.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaia S. Pocobelli ◽  
Mary A. Akosile ◽  
Ryan N. Hansen ◽  
Joanna Eavey ◽  
Robert D. Wellman ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aljohani M ◽  
◽  
Alanazi S ◽  

This case report describes a case of aortic injury with pseudo-aneurysm in a 3-year-old Saudi boy following a motor vehicle accident. The diagnosis was suspected on computed tomography scan, and emergency surgery was performed. A Dacron graft was inserted to repair the injured aorta. Postoperatively, absent femoral, and distal pulses were noted, and thromboembolectomy was performed with good outcome. We believe that our study makes a significant contribution to the literature because it raises awareness of aortic injury and rupture in pediatric patients with multi-organ trauma following motor vehicle accidents. A high index of suspicion and early intervention are essential in improving outcomes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aabishkar Bhattarai ◽  
Niraj Thapa ◽  
Bijaya Karki ◽  
Alok Atreya

Abstract Male genital injuries in the form of avulsed laceration of penis and scrotum are less frequent injuries in urological practice. The cases that occur are mostly caused by road traffic accidents, animal attacks, machinery-related accidents and physical/sexual assaults. Here, we report a case of a 28-year-old male with avulsion and traumatic degloving of the penile and scrotal skin with the exposure of the cavernous and spongy penile body, bilateral testes and total amputation of scrotal skin secondary to motor vehicle accident from Nepal. The patient was managed by emergency surgical debridement and reconstruction of the avulsed penile skin and burial of testis in the medial thigh pockets with primary suturing and hemostasis of the amputated scrotal region, which healed with satisfactory esthetic results with normal voiding function and erection of penis.


Author(s):  
Angus Eugene Retallack ◽  
Bertram Ostendorf

Driven by the high social costs and emotional trauma that result from traffic accidents around the world, research into understanding the factors that influence accident occurrence is critical. There is a lack of consensus about how the management of congestion may affect traffic accidents. This paper aims to improve our understanding of this relationship by analysing accidents at 120 intersections in Adelaide, Australia. Data comprised of 1629 motor vehicle accidents with traffic volumes from a dataset of more than five million hourly measurements. The effect of rainfall was also examined. Results showed an approximately linear relationship between traffic volume and accident frequency at lower traffic volumes. In the highest traffic volumes, poisson and negative binomial models showed a significant quadratic explanatory term as accident frequency increases at a higher rate. This implies that focusing management efforts on avoiding these conditions would be most effective in reducing accident frequency. The relative risk of rainfall on accident frequency decreases with increasing congestion index. Accident risk is five times greater during rain at low congestion levels, successively decreasing to no elevated risk at the highest congestion level. No significant effect of congestion index on accident severity was detected.


2015 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 320-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Garbarino ◽  
Alessio Pitidis ◽  
Marco Giustini ◽  
Franco Taggi ◽  
Antonio Sanna

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clint Lagbas ◽  
Shahrzad Bazargan-Hejazi ◽  
Magda Shaheen ◽  
Dulcie Kermah ◽  
Deyu Pan

Objective. The aim of this study is to describe the traumatic brain injury (TBI) population and causes and identify factors associated with TBI hospitalizations and mortality in California.Methods. This is a cross-sectional study of 61,188 patients with TBI from the California Hospital Discharge Data 2001 to 2009. We used descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses in SAS version 9.3.Results. TBI-related hospitalizations decreased by 14% and mortality increased by 19% from 2001 to 2009. The highest percentages of TBI hospitalizations were due to other causes (38.4%), falls (31.2%), being of age≥75years old (37.2%), being a males (58.9%), and being of Medicare patients (44%). TBIs due to falls were found in those age≤4years old (53.5%),≥75years old (44.0%), and females (37.2%). TBIs due to assaults were more frequent in Blacks (29.0%). TBIs due to motor vehicle accidents were more frequent in 15–19 and 20–24 age groups (48.7% and 48.6%, resp.) and among Hispanics (27.8%). Higher odds of mortality were found among motor vehicle accident category (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 1.27, 95% CI: 1.14–1.41); males (AOR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.27–1.46); and the≥75-year-old group (AOR: 6.4, 95% CI: 4.9–8.4).Conclusions. Our findings suggest a decrease in TBI-related hospitalizations but an increase in TBI-related mortality during the study period. The majority of TBI-related hospitalizations was due to other causes and falls and was more frequent in the older, male, and Medicare populations. The higher likelihood of TBI-related mortalities was found among elderly male≥75years old who had motor vehicle accidents. Our data can inform practitioners, prevention planners, educators, service sectors, and policy makers who aim to reduce the burden of TBI in the community. Implications for interventions are discussed.


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