Pattern and management of trauma: Pilot Survey at two tertiary care hospitals of Karachi

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to determine the pattern of trauma cases in patients reporting to the surgical emergency department of Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) and Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre (JPMC) during the month of May 2012. Methods: This was a cross sectional analysis of a total of 200 patients, who presented with trauma and were 12 years or older. The first 100 patients were recruited from each hospital. Patients referred from other hospital/clinic after treatment/management were excluded. A questionnaire was designed using WHO guidelines. Data was collected by students and analyzed using SPSS v16.0 using simple descriptive statistics. Results: Of the 200 patients, 170(85%) were males. 92 and 97 patients were brought alive in JPMC and CHK respectively. Most common cause of trauma in both the hospitals was road traffic accident (RTA). Bikes (59.3%) were the most common cause of RTA with bikers (48.1%) most frequently injured. Only 24.5% bikers had worn helmets. Most patients suffered trauma while at work or travel and in the morning hours, usually between dawn and midday. The most common type of injury in JPMC was laceration (58%) and in CHK was blunt trauma (50%). Most common site was head/neck (35%) and leg (35%) in JPMC and CHK and the most common management was suturing (59%) and dressing (66%) respectively. Conclusion: RTA in bike riders without helmets was the most common cause of trauma in both hospitals. Lack of first-aid on site and time-delay are major contributors to poor outcomes.