Abdominal Injury Patterns in Motor Vehicle Accidents: A Survey of the NASS Database from 1993 to 1997

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine patterns of abdominal injuries using the publicly available National Automotive Sampling System (NASS) database. Data from the NASS database for the years between 1993 and 1997 were extracted in order to gain an enhanced understanding of abdominal injury patterns resulting from vehicular collisions. The liver was most frequently injured due to contact with components in the front of the passenger compartment, such as the steering assembly and the instrument panel. Injuries to the spleen frequently resulted from contact with components on the left side of the passenger compartment. When considering only contact with components on the sides of the passenger compartment, the liver was injured more frequently due to contact with components on the right side of the passenger compartment while contact with components on the left side of the passenger compartment were more likely to result in injuries of the spleen. A more in-depth survey of the NASS database will be needed to determine if the asymmetrical features of human anatomy must be considered in the design of crash test dummies and mathematical models used in the evaluation of abdominal impact protection in automotive accidents.