[Mortality in patients with multiple injuries: analysis using the trauma and injury severity score in a referral hospital].

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

A growing number of patients with multiple injuries are being treated. Injury severity scales can be used to assess outcomes objectively. This study aimed to assess our hospital's cases on the basis of the Trauma and Injury Severity Score (TRISS) and compare outcomes to those reported in the Major Trauma Outcome Study, as well as to determine preventable mortality and analyze causes of death and associated factors.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Data were extracted from the records of patients admitted with multiple injuries in 2005 and were used to calculate the Revised Trauma Score (RTS), the Injury Severity Score (ISS), and the TRISS or probability of survival. Hospital mortality was also calculated. A TRISS between 25 and 50 was considered to indicate a preventable avoidable death; a TRISS over 50 indicated a preventable death. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with mortality.

RESULTS

We studied the cases of 198 patients with a mean (SD) age of 43.9 (19) years. Ninety-three percent had suffered blunt trauma. The mean ISS, the prehospital RTS, and the TRISS were 16.9 (11.2), 10.8 (2.5), and 0.95 (0.2), respectively. Twenty-five patients died. Fifteen deaths were classified as preventable or potentially preventable. Factors related to exitus were head injury and age (odds ratios, 4.6 and 4.0, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

The rate of preventable death in our hospital was higher than expected. Mortality was strongly associated with head injury and age. The TRISS model can identify preventable deaths objectively.