Epidemiology, prognostic factors, and outcome of trauma patients admitted in a Brazilian intensive care unit.

BACKGROUND

Trauma is a major cause of hospital admissions and is associated with manifold complications and high mortality rates. However, data on intensive care unit (ICU) admissions are scarce in developing and low-income countries, where its incidence has been increasing.

OBJECTIVES

To analyze epidemiological and clinical factors and outcomes in adult trauma patients admitted to the ICU of a public teaching hospital in a developing country as well as to identify risk factors for complications in the ICU.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Retrospective cohort of adult trauma patients admitted to the general ICU of a public teaching hospital in southern Brazil in the year 2012. Demographic, clinical, and outcome data from the ICU were analyzed.

RESULTS

During the study period, 144 trauma patients were admitted (83% male, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation Score II =18.6±7.2, age =33.3 years, 93% required mechanical ventilation). Of these, 60.4% suffered a traffic accident (52% motorcycle), and 31.2% were victims of violence (aggressions, gunshot wounds, or stabbing); 71% had brain trauma, 37% had chest trauma, and 21% had abdominal trauma. Patients with trauma presented a high incidence of complications, such as infections, acute renal failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and thrombocytopenia. The ICU mortality rate was 22.9%.

CONCLUSION

In a Brazilian public teaching ICU, there was a great variability of trauma etiologies (mainly traffic accidents with motorcycles and victims of violence); patients with trauma had a high incidence of complications and mortality in the ICU.