Influence of prehospital response times in the survival of trauma patients in Navarre

Abstract

The relation between response times and mortality of polytrauma patients in the so-called "golden hour" continues to be a subject of debate. The purpose of this study is to determine the variables related to mortality in these patients and the influence of response times of the Emergency Medical Services in this mortality. To this end, the data in the "Major Trauma of Navarre" Register (retrospective cohort of polytrauma patients attended to by the Navarre Health Service) were analyzed for the four year period between 2010 and 2013. Of the 217 trauma cases available for the analysis, 42 (19%) died. No significant association was found in the multi-variate analysis between the different response times and mortality: arrival at the scene (odds ratio (OR) 1.0; 95% confidence interval (CI) from 0.99 to 1.01), in the scenario (OR 1.00; 95% CI from 0.98 to 1.02) and total time (OR 1.00; 95% CI from 0.99 to 1.01). The variables that influenced mortality are patient age and severity of injuries measured by the prehospital Triage-Revised Trauma Score (T-RTS) and the New Injury Severity Score (NISS). The mortality of polytrauma patients attended to by the emergency system in our region is influenced by age and by the intensity of the aggression suffered, determined by the prehospital T-RTS and by the NISS. The response times of the hospital do not have a significant influence.