Hospital Admission Morbidity Due to External Causes in the Municipality of Sao Jose dos Campos, State of Sao Paulo, Brazil

The objective of the study was to identify the external-cause hospital morbidity in the Municipality of Sao Jose dos Campos, State of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Admissions to the Municipal Hospital via Brazilian Health System (SUS) resulting from external-cause injuries were analyzed during the first semester of 2003. The Municipal Hospital is a reference for trauma care, accounting 92.3% of all admissions from SUS due to external causes in the period studied. Among the 873 first-time admissions, land transportation accidents were responsible for 31.8%, falls for 26.7% and undetermined causes for 19.5%. The male ratio was of 3.1:1, and the predominant age was 20-29 years, with 23.3%. The most frequent injuries were fractures (49.8%) and intracranial traumas (13.5%). Among the predominant fractures, femur and leg fractures acted, respectively, for 10.8% and 10.1%. The highest admission rate regarding place of dwelling occurred in the north-side of the city, with 470.0 admissions per 100.000 inhabitants. The profile of hospital morbidity found in this study confirmed land transportation accidents as an important cause for admissions in the city, contradicting the general tendency of fall as primary external cause for hospital admissions. Distribution by sex, age, and nature of injury was similar to the data found in the literature. External-cause admissions by region of residency contributed to the violence mapping of Sao Jose dos Campos-SP.