Patterns of injuries and predictors of inhospital mortality in trauma patients in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to describe the pattern of traumatic injuries and determine the predictors of inhospital mortality in patients admitted to the emergency department.Patients and methodsThis is a retrospective cohort study of 3,786 patients with traumat injuries admitted to the emergency department of King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between January 2012 and December 2014. Data on patient characteristics, trauma characteristics and outcomes were extracted from medical records. A negative binomial regression model was utilized to identify significant predictors of inhospital mortality.ResultsOf all injured patients, 77.5% were male, 29.8% were aged 15–25 years and 25.7% were aged 26–45 years. Blunt trauma was the main mechanism of injury, including motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) in 52.0% and falls in 25.8% of patients. Most patients had injuries to the extremities (61.3%), followed by the head (32.2%), chest (16.9%) and abdomen (8.9%). Injuries were mild in 49.7% of patients, moderate in 30.2% and severe in 20.1%. The sex of the patients was significantly associated with the mechanism of injury (p<0.001), severity (p<0.001), anatomical site of injury (p<0.001), admission to the intensive care unit (p<0.001), need for trauma team activation (p<0.001) and type of transportation to hospital (p<0.001). The predictors of inhospital mortality were age (rate ratio [RR] for each 10-year increase=1.174; p<0.001), falls and burns (RR=2.337 and 1.728; p<0.001) and moderate and severe injuries (RR=6.438 and 181.780; p<0.001).ConclusionOur results suggest different patterns of trauma injuries according to patient age and sex. MVCs were the leading cause of injuries, but falls and burns had the highest inhospital mortality. This suggests the need for a comprehensive national education and prevention programs that address all causes of injuries.

Changes in the epidemiology of fall-related injuries in a high-income developing country

“…Construction work is the main contributor to falls from height in these countries [5][6][7][8]. Similar to reports from Qatar, Iraq, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, falls is a signi cant cause of injuries in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) [8][9][10][11][12][13].…”

Epidemiological characteristics of traumatic musculoskeletal injuries during the COVID-19 pandemic at a single tertiary hospital

“…In our study, this is supported by the fact that the majority of recorded accidents that led to admissions was falls (47.8%), while MVAs had a similarly high incidence but a slightly lower proportion (42.4%). This finding is in contrast with that of a study published prior to the pandemic by Abolfotouh et al .,[ 9 ] where it was found that the majority of traumas were caused by MVAs (52%). Nevertheless, our findings are also supported by a similar study conducted in China by Zhu et al .,[ 10 ] where it was found that there was an increase in the incidence of falls, surpassing that of MVAs.…”

“…Recently, a study was conducted in China during the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic to examine the characteristics of traumatic fractures in the elderly; it was found that the population was predominantly female, and the most common fractures occurred in the hip due to falling from a standing position. [ 9 ]…”

Laparoscopic splenectomy after trauma

“…Spleen injuries, as reported in literature, represent the most common event among abdominal traumas. [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 ] Spleen trauma prognosis is strictly related to the severity of the splenic injury and the trauma in general. The treatment of blunt splenic injuries (BSI) has changed significantly during the last 30 years with the non-operative management (NOM) that has become a standard of care both in children and in adults.…”