Transfer delay and in-hospital mortality of trauma patients in Pakistan

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• 作者：Afrasyab Khan ; Hasnain Zafar ; Syed Nadir Naeem ; Syed Ahsan Raza
• 关键词：Trauma ; Mortality ; Registry
• 刊名：International Journal of Surgery
• 出版年：2010
• 出版时间：2010
• 年：2010
• 卷：8
• 期：2
• 页码：155-158
• 全文大小：124 K

文摘

Background

Mortality and morbidity in trauma remain a major problem in developing countries. Organized emergency response systems for transfer of trauma patients to hospitals are absent and the consequent delays could cause significant complications.

Aims

This study assessed the outcomes as a result of hospital transfer and delays in trauma patients.

Methods

The study was based on trauma patients presenting to the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Karachi, Pakistan from 1998 to 2005, meeting the trauma team activation criteria. Data were collected and entered in a Trauma Registry. The study focused on analyzing the outcomes of injury to delay in definitive treatment and survival.

Results

Out of 978 patients, only 303 (30.9 % ) patients reached the emergency room (ER) within an hour. The mean time from injury occurrence to arrival in the ER was 4.7 h. There was no significant difference in mortality between all patients presenting early and those with more than 1 h delay (OR = 0.9, 95 % CI: 0.6, 1.5).

Conclusions

Transfer and delay in admission to a tertiary care center does not affect in-hospital mortality of trauma patients in a setting with no emergency response system. This may be due to self selection of patients who survive long enough to reach the hospital.