• Jörg Bayer, Rolf Lefering, Sylvia Reinhardt, Jan Kühle, Jörn Zwingmann, Norbert P Südkamp, Thorsten Hammer, and TraumaRegister DGU.
• Department of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, Medical Center - Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Hugstetter Str. 55, 79106 Freiburg, Germany.
• World J Emerg Surg. 2017 Jan 1; 12: 43.

BackgroundThoracic trauma is a relevant source of comorbidity throughout multiply-injured patient care. We aim to determine a measurable influence of chest trauma's severity on early resuscitation, intensive care therapy, and mortality in severely injured patients.MethodsPatients documented between 2002 and 2012 in the TraumaRegister DGU®, aged ≥ 16 years, injury severity score (ISS) ≥ 16 are analyzed. Isolated brain injury and severe head injury led to exclusion. Subgroups are formed using the Abbreviated Injury ScaleThorax.ResultsTwenty-two thousand five hundred sixty-five patients were predominantly male (74%) with mean age of 45.7 years (SD 19.3), blunt trauma (95%), mean ISS 25.6 (SD 9.6). Overall mean intubation period was 5.6 days (SD 10.7). Surviving patients were discharged from the ICU after a mean of about 5 days following extubation. Thoracic trauma severity (AISThorax ≥ 4) and fractures to the thoracic cage significantly prolonged the ventilation period. Additionally, fractures extended the ICU stay significantly. Suffering from more than one thoracic injury was associated with a mean of 1-2 days longer intubation period and longer ICU stay. Highest rates of sepsis, respiratory, and multiple organ failure occurred in patients with critical compared to lesser thoracic trauma severity.ConclusionThoracic trauma severity in multiply-injured patients has a measurable impact on rates of respiratory and multiple organ failure, sepsis, mortality, time of mechanical ventilation, and ICU stay.

28 keywords...

hide…