patient volume and rate of thoracotomies performed at level I centers, 3 it is possible that greater experience in treatment may have resulted in better outcomes. With regard to patients who underwent SNOM, while statistically significant, the absolute difference was 0.6%. As a result, it is difficult to correlate clinically. Further studies are necessary to assess this finding and determine the reasons behind the difference in risk of mortality. Limitations to our study include lack of data on the location of stab wounds contributing to variation in management, clinician experience, time from injury to arrival, personnel availability, variations in SNOM, and number of stab wounds. Conclusions | This study demonstrates that patients with torso stab wounds treated at level I centers have a lower risk of mortality when treated with thoracotomy or SNOM, compared with patients at level II centers. Future prospective research is needed to evaluate these findings and support the institution of optimal prehospital trauma designation for this population.
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