Abstract
BackgroundPredictors of mortality of chest trauma vary globally. We aimed to define factors affecting mortality of hospitalized chest trauma patients in Al-Ain City, United Arab Emirates.MethodsThe data of Al-Ain Hospital Trauma Registry were prospectively collected over a period of three years. Patients with chest trauma who were admitted for more than 24 hours in Al-Ain Hospital or who died after arrival to the hospital were included in the study. Univariate analysis was used to compare patients who died and those who survived. Gender, age, nationality, mechanism of injury, systolic blood pressure and GCS on arrival, the need for ventilatory support, presence of head injury, AIS for the chest and head, presence of injuries outside the chest, and ISS were studied. Significant factors were then entered into a backward stepwise likelihood ratio logistic regression model.Results474 patients having a median (range) age of 35 (1–90) years were studied. 90% were males and 18% were UAE citizens. The main mechanism of injury was road traffic collisions (66%) followed by falls (23.4%). Penetrating trauma occurred in 4 patients (0.8%). 88 patients (18.6%) were admitted to the ICU. The median (range) ISS was 5 (1–43). 173 patients (36.5%) had isolated chest injury. Overall mortality rate was 7.2%. Mortality was significantly increased by low GCS (p < 0.0001), high ISS (p = 0.025), and low systolic blood pressure on arrival (p = 0.027).ConclusionChest trauma is associated with a significant mortality in Al-Ain City. This was significantly related to the severity of head injury, injury severity score, and hypotension on arrival.
Highlights
Predictors of mortality of chest trauma vary globally
Penetrating trauma occurred in only 4 patients (0.8%), all were stab wounds and all survived. 304 (64.1%) patients were injured in the street or highway, 90 (19%) at work place, and 45 (9.5%) at home
Our study has shown that significant predictors for mortality of chest trauma patients were low Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), hypotension on presentation and increased severity of injury
Summary
Predictors of mortality of chest trauma vary globally. We aimed to define factors affecting mortality of hospitalized chest trauma patients in Al-Ain City, United Arab Emirates. Injury is a leading cause of death worldwide and is the second cause of death in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The mortality rate of patients having chest trauma ranges between 4% and 20% worldwide [1]. The pattern of chest trauma and its clinical presentation vary between different countries [2]. Predictors of mortality vary in different settings. When chest trauma is not life threatening, management decisions become less clear [1]. Clinical presentations alone have a low predictive value of mortality and may not be enough to guide the decision making process [3]
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