ArticlePloS one2025
Comparison of survival outcomes and anatomically specific severe injuries following traffic accidents among occupants of standard and K-car vehicles: A retrospective cohort study at a teaching hospital in Japan.
Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- [Finite element analysis of skeletal injury mechanisms in adult standing positions with both feet landed on the ground].Zhong nan da xue xue bao. Yi xue ban = Journal of Central South University. Medical sciences · 2025Article
- Impact of seat position on survival outcomes and anatomically specific severe injury patterns in four-wheeled motor vehicle accidents: a retrospective cohort study at a community emergency department in Japan.BMC emergency medicine · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Road traffic accidents are a global health concern. K-car vehicles, also known as "mini vehicles," are defined as those having an engine displacement <660 cc, vehicle length <3.4 m, width <1.48 m, and height <2.0 m. K-cars have become increasing popular not only in Japan but also in other countries. Compared with standard vehicles, the occupant space of a K-car vehicle is considerably smaller; thus, passengers may be more vulnerable to the external forces generated in a collision, which in turn can lead to deformation of the occupant space and less protection against injuries. However, data are scarce regarding whether K-car vehicles are related to poorer survival outcomes and severe trauma. We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving patients who were injured in four-wheeled vehicle accidents between 2002 and 2023 and admitted to a community teaching hospital in Japan. The vehicle configuration was divided into standard and K-car vehicles. The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality. Other outcomes included severe trauma, defined as Injury Severity Score (ISS) >15, and anatomically specific severe injury of the head and neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis, and extremities, defined as Abbreviated Injury Scale score ≥3. Of 5331 eligible patients, 2384 (44.7%) were K-car vehicle occupants. In propensity score-matched analysis with 1947 pairs, we observed an increase for in-hospital mortality in the K-car vehicle group (2.6% vs. 4.0%, odds ratio 1.53, 95% confidence interval 1.07-2.19). Compared with standard vehicles, K-car vehicles were associated with a greater risk of severe trauma and serious injuries of the head and neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis, and extremities. These study data should be used to encourage vehicle occupants and automobile manufacturers to consider objective facts regarding the safety of vehicles in a traffic accident.
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