Epidemiology of trauma in France: mortality and risk factors based on a national medico-administrative database

The influence of socioeconomic status on management and outcomes in major trauma: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Major trauma is a leading cause of death and disability in younger individuals and poses a significant public health concern. There is a growing interest in understanding the complex relationships between socioeconomic deprivation and major trauma. Anecdotal evidence suggests that deprivation is associated with more violent and debilitating injuries. There remains a paucity in literature evaluating major trauma outcomes in relation to socioeconomic deprivation.

METHODS

A comprehensive search of MEDLINE, Embase, and CENTRAL databases was performed to identify studies from 1947 to March 2024. The primary outcome was to establish the distribution of injuries based on deprivation, with secondary outcomes evaluating surgical intervention rates, length of stay, and mortality. Quantitative pooling of data was based on the random-effects model.

RESULTS

Fourteen studies and 878,872 trauma patients were included. A substantial proportion (28%) of trauma incidents occurred in the most deprived group. Patients from the lowest socioeconomic group were considerably younger (weighted mean difference [WMD] -9.85 years and 95% confidence intervals [CI] -9.99 to -9.70) and more likely to be male (odds ratio [OR] 1.36 and 95% CI 1.14-1.63). There were no differences in surgical intervention (OR 1.74 and 95% CI 0.97-3.13), length of stay (WMD 1.15 days and 95% CI -0.32-2.62), and mortality (OR 1.04 and 95% CI 0.95-1.14) regardless of background.

CONCLUSION

Major trauma is prevalent in deprived areas and in younger individuals, with an increasing trend of deprivation in male patients. Although the rates of surgery, length of stay, and mortality did not differ between groups, planning of public health interventions should target areas of higher deprivation.

Development and validation of a model for predicting prolonged weaning from mechanical ventilation in patients with abdominal trauma

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to develop and validate a model to predict the risk of prolonged weaning from mechanical ventilation in patients with abdominal trauma.

METHODS

Patients with abdominal trauma were included and were divided into the training cohort and the validation cohort. The model was constructed using predictive factors identified by univariable and multivariable logistic regressions, and was validated by receiver operating characteristic curve, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis. Clinical outcomes were compared between model-stratified risk groups.

RESULTS

In total,190 patients were included, with 133 in the training cohort and 57 in the validation cohort. Six predictive factors, the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, Injury Severity Score, Glasgow coma scale, total bilirubin, skeletal muscle index, and abdominal fat index, were identified and were included in the model. The model predicting prolonged weaning owned a good discrimination, had an excellent calibration, and exhibited a favorable net benefit within a reasonable range of threshold probabilities. Significant differences were shown in prolonged weaning and clinical outcomes between the high-risk and low-risk groups (P < .05). Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that patients in the high-risk group had greater risk of 28-day mortality (P < .05).

CONCLUSION

This study established a model to predict the risk of prolonged weaning from mechanical ventilation and clinical outcomes in patients with abdominal trauma. Skeletal muscle index was identified as one of independent risk factors of prolonged weaning. The findings offer valuable insights for respiratory management in patients with abdominal trauma.

The association between regional guidelines compliance and mortality in severe trauma patients: an observational, retrospective study

BACKGROUND AND IMPORTANCE

Trauma is a major cause of mortality and morbidity. Regional trauma systems are the cornerstones of healthcare systems, helping to improve outcomes and avoid preventable deaths in severe trauma patients.

OBJECTIVES

The goal of this study was to evaluate the association between compliance with the guidelines of a regional trauma management system and survival at 28 days of severe trauma patients.

DESIGN, SETTINGS AND PARTICIPANTS

We conducted a retrospective observational study from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019. All adult patients admitted for trauma at the University Hospital of Marseille (France) and requiring a pre-hospital medical team were analysed. Compliance with a list of 30 items based on the regional guidelines for the trauma management was evaluated. Each item was classified as compliant, not compliant or not applicable. The global compliance was calculated for each patient as the ratio between the number of compliant items over the number of applicable items.

OUTCOME MEASURES AND ANALYSIS

The primary aim was to measure the association between compliance with the guidelines and survival at 28 days using a logistic regression. Secondary objectives were to measure the association between compliance with the guidelines and survival at 28 days and 6 months according to the severity of the patients, using a cut-off of the injury severity score at 24.

MAIN RESULTS

A total of 494 patients with a median age of 35.0 (25.0-50.0) years were analysed. Global compliance with guidelines was 63%. Mortality at 28 days and 6 months was assessed at 33 (6.7%) and 37 (7.5%) patients, respectively. The level of compliance was associated with reduced mortality at 28 days [odds ratio (OR) at 0.94 and 95% confidence interval (CI) at 0.89-0.98]. In the subgroup of 122 patients with an injury severity score above 23, the level of compliance was associated with reduced mortality at 28 days [OR: 0.93 (95% CI: 0.88-0.99)] and 6 months [OR: 0.93 (95% CI: 0.87-0.99)].

CONCLUSION

Increased levels of compliance with the guidelines in severe trauma patients were associated with an increase in survival, notably in the most severe patients.

Torso hemorrhage: noncompressible? never say never

Since limb bleeding has been well managed by extremity tourniquets, the management of exsanguinating torso hemorrhage (TH) has become a hot issue both in military and civilian medicine. Conventional hemostatic techniques are ineffective for managing traumatic bleeding of organs and vessels within the torso due to the anatomical features. The designation of noncompressible torso hemorrhage (NCTH) marks a significant step in investigating the injury mechanisms and developing effective methods for bleeding control. Special tourniquets such as abdominal aortic and junctional tourniquet and SAM junctional tourniquet designed for NCTH have been approved by FDA for clinical use. Combat ready clamp and junctional emergency treatment tool also exhibit potential for external NCTH control. In addition, resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) further provides an endovascular solution to alleviate the challenges of NCTH treatment. Notably, NCTH cognitive surveys have revealed that medical staff have deficiencies in understanding relevant concepts and treatment abilities. The stereotypical interpretation of NCTH naming, particularly the term noncompressible, is the root cause of this issue. This review discusses the dynamic relationship between TH and NCTH by tracing the development of external NCTH control techniques. The authors propose to further subdivide the existing NCTH into compressible torso hemorrhage and NCTH' (noncompressible but REBOA controllable) based on whether hemostasis is available via external compression. Finally, due to the irreplaceability of special tourniquets during the prehospital stage, the authors emphasize the importance of a package program to improve the efficacy and safety of external NCTH control. This program includes the promotion of tourniquet redesign and hemostatic strategies, personnel reeducation, and complications prevention.

Longitudinal D-Dimer Trajectories and the Risk of Mortality in Abdominal Trauma Patients: A Group-Based Trajectory Modeling Analysis

This study aimed to identify the long-term D-dimer trajectory patterns and their associations with in-hospital all-cause mortality in abdominal trauma patients. This is a retrospective cohort study of general adult abdominal trauma patients admitted to Jinling Hospital (Nanjing, China) between January 2010 and April 2020. Group-based trajectory modeling was applied to model D-dimer trajectories over the first 50 days post-trauma. A multivariable logistic regression was performed to estimate the associations between D-dimer trajectories and in-hospital all-cause mortality. A total of 309 patients were included. We identified four distinct D-dimer trajectories: group 1 (57.61%; "stable low"), group 2 (28.16%; "moderate-decline"), group 3 (8.41%; "high-rapid decline"), and group 4 (5.83%; "high-gradual decline"). The SOFA score (p = 0.005) and ISS (p = 0.001) were statistically higher in groups 3 and 4 than in groups 1 and 2. The LMWH and UFH did not differ between groups 3 and 4. Compared with the patients in group 1, only the patients in group 4 were at a higher risk of in-hospital all-cause mortality (OR = 6.94, 95% CI: 1.20-40.25). The long-term D-dimer trajectories post-trauma were heterogeneous and associated with mortality. An initially high and slowly-resolved D-dimer might function as the marker of disease deterioration, and specific interventions are needed.

In-Hospital Mortality Following Traumatic Injury in South Africa

Trauma is a leading cause of death worldwide and in South Africa. We aimed to quantify the in-hospital trauma mortality rate in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.

Background

The in-hospital trauma mortality rate in South Africa remains unknown, and it is unclear whether deficits in hospital care are contributing to the high level of trauma-related mortality.

Methods

All patients hospitalized because of trauma at the Department of Surgery at Grey's Hospital, Pietermaritzburg Metropolitan Trauma Service, were prospectively entered in an electronic database starting in 2013 and the data were retrospectively analyzed. The trauma service adheres to Advanced Trauma Life Support and the doctors have attended basic and advanced courses in trauma care. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality.

Results

Of 9795 trauma admissions, 412 (4.2%) patients died during hospital care between January 2013 and January 2019. Forty-six percent died after road traffic accidents, 19% after gunshot wounds, 13% after stab wounds, and 10% after assaults. Sixteen percent were classified as avoidable deaths due to inappropriate care and resource limitations. Fifty percent died because of traumatic brain injury and 80% of them were unavoidable.

Conclusions

In conclusion, the in-hospital trauma mortality rate at a South African trauma center using systematic trauma care is lower than that reported from other trauma centers in the world during the past 20 years. Nevertheless, 16% of death cases were assessed as avoidable if there had been better access to intensive care, dialysis, advanced respiratory care, blood for transfusion, and improvements in surgery and medical care.

Ten‐year trends of adult trauma patients in Central Denmark Region from 2010 to 2019: A retrospective cohort study

Background

Trauma causes significant economic and societal burdens, and the trauma patient population and their prognosis change over time. This study aims to analyze 10‐year trends of trauma patients at a major trauma center in Central Denmark Region.

Methods

Five thousand three hundred and sixty‐six patients aged ≥16 years with Injury Severity Score (ISS) > 0 admitted by trauma team activation at a major trauma center between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2019, were included. An annual percent change with a 95% confidence interval was used to estimate trends in the mechanism of injuries. Multiple logistic regression with mortality as the outcome was adjusted for age, sex, and ISS. Admission year was used as continuous variable in logistic regressions.

Results

The median age increased from 37 in 2010 to 49 in 2019, and the proportion of patients aged ≥65 doubled. The annual incidence of minor injuries (ISS 1–15) decreased from 181.3/10⁵ inhabitants in 2010 to 112.7/10⁵ in 2019. Severe injuries (ISS > 15) increased from 10.1/10⁵ inhabitants in 2010 to 13.6/10⁵ in 2019. The proportion of patients with ISS > 15 increased from 18.1% in 2010 to 31.1% in 2019. Multivariable logistic regression indicates lower 30‐day mortality for all trauma patients over the study period when adjusting for age, sex, and ISS (odds ratio: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.90–0.99). The 30‐day mortality for severely injured patients with ISS > 15 seems to decrease during the study period when adjusting for age, sex, and ISS (Odds ratio: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.87–0.97). Fall injuries increased by 4.1% annually (95% CI: 2.3%–6.1%).

Conclusions

Ten‐year trends of trauma patients at a major trauma center show an increasing median age, injury severity, and number of fall injuries. The 30‐day mortality of trauma patients decreased slightly for both minor injuries and severe injuries when adjusting for age, sex, and injury severity.

Rendimiento de escalas de trauma ISS, NISS y RTS en accidentes de tránsito para predecir mortalidad en un hospital de alta complejidad

Introducción. La población mundial crece y con ello los accidentes de tránsito, incrementando la morbimortalidad. La combinación de factores clínicos y paraclínicos mediante las escalas de trauma impacta en los desenlaces al permitir tomar acciones oportunas. Métodos. Estudio de corte transversal en el que se incluyeron pacientes con lesiones por colisión en accidentes de tránsito, atendidos entre 2017 y 2018, en urgencias del Hospital Universitario San José de Popayán, Colombia, un hospital de alta complejidad. Se recolectaron variables sociodemográficas y biológicas y se aplicaron tres escalas de trauma, Revised Trauma Score, Injury Severity Score y New Injury Severity Score. Posteriormente, se evaluó su rendimiento para predecir mortalidad. Resultados. Se atendieron en el servicio de urgencias 650 pacientes con lesiones en accidentes de tránsito y se presentaron 16 muertes. Al evaluar el rendimiento de las escalas de trauma se encontró que la sensibilidad para mortalidad varía entre el 75 % para Revised Trauma Score y el 93,8 % para Injury Severity Score y New Injury Severity Score, con una especificidad que varía entre 89,1 % y 96,8 %. Se identificó que la mejor razón de verosimilitud positiva fue para Revised Trauma Score, mientras que la mejor razón de verosimilitud negativa fue para Injury Severity Score y New Injury Severity Score. Conclusiones. Los resultados evidencian un adecuado rendimiento de las escalas de trauma evaluadas para predecir mortalidad. La escala que presentó mejor rendimiento fue Injury Severity Score por su sensibilidad, especificidad y razón de verosimilitud positiva.

Red Alert: It Is Time to Strengthen the Medical Knowledge of Noncompressible Torso Hemorrhage Among Health-Care Workers

OBJECTIVE

Noncompressible torso hemorrhage (NCTH) is a major challenge in prehospital bleeding control and is associated with high mortality. This study was performed to estimate medical knowledge and the perceived barriers to information acquisition among health-care workers (HCWs) regarding NCTH in China.

METHODS

A self-administered and validated questionnaire was distributed among 11 WeChat groups consisting of HCWs engaged in trauma, emergency, and disaster rescue.

RESULTS

A total of 575 HCWs participated in this study. In the knowledge section, the majority (87.1%) denied that successful hemostasis could be obtained by external compression. Regarding attitudes, the vast majority of HCWs exhibited positive attitudes toward the important role of NCTH in reducing prehospital preventable death (90.4%) and enthusiasm for continuous learning (99.7%). For practice, fewer than half of HCWs (45.7%) had heard of NCTH beforehand, only a minority (14.3%) confirmed they had attended relevant continuing education, and 16.3% HCWs had no access to updated medical information. The most predominant barrier to information acquisition was the lack of continuing training (79.8%).

CONCLUSIONS

Knowledge and practice deficiencies do exist among HCWs. Obstacles to update medical information warrant further attention. Furthermore, education program redesign is also needed.

A study of patients' quality of life more than 5 years after trauma: a prospective follow-up

BACKGROUND

The long-term fate of severely injured patients in terms of their quality of life is not well known. Our aim was to assess the quality of life of patients who have suffered moderate to severe trauma and to identify primary factors of long-term quality of life impairment.

METHODS

A prospective monocentric study conducted on a number of patients who were victims of moderate to severe injuries during the year 2012. Patients were selected based on an Injury Severity Score (ISS) more than or equal to 9. Quality of life was assessed by the MOS SF-36 and NHP scores as a primary evaluation criterion. The secondary evaluation criteria were the determination of the socio-economic impact on quality of life and the identification of factors associated with disability.

RESULTS

Two hundred and eight patients were contacted by e-mail or telephone. Fifty-five patients participated in this study (with a participation level of 26.4%), including 78.2% men, with a median age of 46. Significant alterations in quality of life were observed with the NHP and MOS SF-36 scale, including physical and psychological components. This resulted in a major socio-economic impact as 26% of the patients could not resume their professional activities (n = 10), 20% required retraining in other lines of work, and 36.4% had a disability status. The study showed that scores ≤ 85 on the physical functioning variable of the MOS SF 36 scale was associated with disability.

CONCLUSION

More than five years after a moderate to severe injury, patients' quality of life was significantly impacted, resulting in significant socio-economic consequences. Disability secondary to major trauma seems to be associated with a score ≤ 85 on the physical functioning dimension of the MOS SF-36 scale. This study raises the question of whether or not early rehabilitation programs should be implemented in order to limit the long-term impact of major trauma.

Trauma-related mortality of patients with severe psychiatric disorders: population-based study from the French national hospital database

BACKGROUND

Most research on mortality in people with severe psychiatric disorders has focused on natural causes of death. Little is known about trauma-related mortality, although bipolar disorder and schizophrenia have been associated with increased risk of self-administered injury and road accidents.

AIMS

To determine if 30-day in-patient mortality from traumatic injury was increased in people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia compared with those without psychiatric disorders.

METHOD

A French national 2016 database of 144 058 hospital admissions for trauma was explored. Patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia were selected and matched with mentally healthy controls in a 1:3 ratio according to age, gender, social deprivation and region of residence. We collected the following data: sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidities, trauma severity characteristics and trauma circumstances. Study outcome was 30-day in-patient mortality.

RESULTS

The study included 1059 people with bipolar disorder, 1575 people with schizophrenia and their respective controls (n = 3177 and n = 4725). The 30-day mortality was 5.7% in bipolar disorder, 5.1% in schizophrenia and 3.3 and 3.8% in the controls, respectively. Only bipolar disorder was associated with increased mortality in univariate analyses. This association remained significant after adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics and comorbidities but not after adjustment for trauma severity. Self-administered injuries were associated with increased mortality independent of the presence of a psychiatric diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with bipolar disorder are at higher risk of 30-day mortality, probably through increased trauma severity. A self-administered injury is predictive of a poor survival prognosis regardless of psychiatric diagnosis.

Effect of early hyperoxemia on the outcome in servere blunt chest trauma: A propensity score-based analysis of a single-center retrospective cohort

PURPOSE

Our study aimed to explore the association between early hyperoxemia of the first 24 h on outcomes in patients with severe blunt chest trauma.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In a level I trauma center, we conducted a retrospective study of 426 consecutive patients. Hyperoxemic groups were classified in severe (average PaO₂ ≥ 200 mmHg), moderate (≥150 and < 200 mmHg) or mild (≥ 100 and < 200 mmHg) and compared to control group (≥60 and < 100 mmHg) using a propensity score based analysis. The first endpoint was the incidence of a composite outcome including death and hospital-acquired pneumonia occurring from admission to day 28. The secondary endpoints were the incidence of death, the number of hospital-acquired pneumonia, mechanical ventilation-free days and intensive care unit-free day at day 28.

RESULTS

The incidence of the composite endpoint was lower in the severe hyperoxemia group(OR, 0.25; 95%CI, 0.09-0.73; P < 0.001) compared with control. The 28-day mortality incidence was lower in severe (OR, 0.23; 95%CI, 0.08-0.68; P < 0.001) hyperoxemia group (OR, 0.41; 95%CI, 0.17-0.97; P = 0.04). Significant association was found between hyperoxemia and secondary outcomes.

CONCLUSION

In our cohort early hyperoxemia during the first 24 h of admission after severe blunt chest trauma was not associated with worse outcome.

Circadian disruption of core body temperature in trauma patients: a single-center retrospective observational study

Background

Circadian clock alterations were poorly reported in trauma patients, although they have a critical role in human physiology. Core body temperature is a clinical variable regulated by the circadian clock. Our objective was to identify the circadian temperature disruption in trauma patients and to determine whether these disruptions were associated with the 28-day mortality rate.

Methods

A retrospective and observational single-center cohort study was conducted. All adult severe trauma patients admitted to the intensive care unit of Aix Marseille University, North Hospital, from November 2013 to February 2018, were evaluated. The variations of core body temperature for each patient were analyzed between days 2 and 3 after intensive care unit admission. Core body temperature variations were defined by three parameters: mesor, amplitude, and period. A logistic regression model was used to determine the variables influencing these three parameters. A survival analysis was performed assessing the association between core body temperature rhythm disruption and 28-day mortality rate. A post hoc subgroup analysis focused on the patients with head trauma.

Results

Among the 1584 screened patients, 248 were included in this study. The period differed from 24 h in 177 (71%) patients. The mesor value (°C) was associated with body mass index and ketamine use. Amplitude (°C) was associated with ketamine use only. The 28-day mortality rate was 18%. For all trauma patients, age, body mass index, intracranial hypertension, and amplitude were independent risk factors. The patients with a mesor value < 36.9 °C (p < 0.001) and an amplitude > 0.6 °C (p < 0.001) had a higher 28-day mortality rate. Among the patients with head trauma, mesor and amplitude were identified as independent risk factors (HR = 0.40, 95% CI [0.23–0.70], p = 0.001 and HR = 4.73, 95% CI [1.38–16.22], p = 0.01).

Conclusions

Our results highlight an association between core body temperature circadian alteration and 28-day mortality rate. This association was more pronounced in the head trauma patients than in the non-head trauma patients. Further studies are needed to show a causal link and consider possible interventions.

Long-term mortality and quality of life after trauma: an ancillary study from the prospective multicenter trial FROG-ICU

INTRODUCTION

The long-term outcomes of intensive care unit (ICU) patients are known to be worse than those of the general population, but they are poorly known in severe trauma patients. We conducted an ancillary examination of the FROG-ICU study to identify risk factors and biomarkers associated with the poorer long-term outcomes and mortality in trauma ICU patients.

METHODS

Mortality, quality of life (QoL) and stress level scores were obtained 1 year after discharge from ICU. Blood samples were collected at ICU admission and discharge for measurement of inflammatory and cardiovascular biomarkers.

RESULTS

ICU trauma patients had a significantly lower 1-year mortality than non-trauma patients (7% vs. 23%, p < 0.001), but had worse stress levels scores (19 vs. 13, p = 0.041). No difference was found regarding physical and mental QoL scores (33 vs. 31, p = 0.19 and 30 vs. 28, p = 0.42). Patients with better QoL scores had lower tracheotomy rates (11% vs. 30%, p = 0.01). Worse stress level scores are associated with poor QoL scores and vice versa. Some study biomarkers were significantly higher in those ICU trauma patients who had worse QoL scores at 1 year after discharge.

DISCUSSION

Our study suggests that quality of life 1 year after an ICU stay is poor and is similar in both trauma and non-trauma patients, but ICU trauma patients are at greater risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder-related symptoms. Tracheotomy and high levels of inflammatory biomarkers could be associated with impaired quality of life.