A Comparative Study on Mortality of Trauma – Our Experience in Peshawar

Abstract

Objective: To compare the mortality among different modes of trauma and different areas/parts of the body
involved by trauma.
Study Design: Comparative descriptive study.
Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out in the Department of Critical Care Medicine, Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Peshawar, from October 2015 to September 2017.
Materials and Methods: All the patients with trauma admitted to in the Intensive Care Unit (ITC) of CMH
Peshawar were included in this study. All the data including their cause of injury and the areas involved were
collected on computerized forms using Microsoft Access 2007 and patients were followed till their death or
discharge from ITC. The data collection was prospective and cross-sectional.
Results: During the study period a total of 448 trauma patients were admitted in the ITC of CMH Peshawar.
Males (93.3 %) outnumbered females (6.7%) by almost 14:1. Mean age of patients was 31 ± 13.4 years (range
1.5 to 88 years). The mean ITC stay of patients was 6.8 ± 6.5 days. Out of these 448 patients, 394 (87.9%)
survived and were shifted from ITC to lower levels of care. The survival ratio was slightly higher in females
compared to males with a p-value of 0.348. Patients who survived were relatively younger (30 years+ 13) than
the patients who expired (37 years+ 15) with a p-value of 0.071. The trauma patients who survived stayed one
day longer (7 days) than the patients who expired (6 days), p-value 0.057. Depending upon the cause of trauma,
the highest mortality was seen in patients of burns (40%) followed by RTA (17.2%) and GSW (10.6) P-value
0.011. Similarly depending onthe area of the body involved highest mortality is seen in patients with burns
(40%), followed by polytrauma (16.7%) and head injury (16.1%).
Conclusion: Trauma is a problem of young adults which can lead to disabilities and loss of life years in its victims. RTA is the commonest cause of trauma with a high fatality rate. Depending on body area involvement
polytrauma and head injury due to any cause are common and carry a high mortality. Burns are the less
common but the deadliest cause of trauma.