Risk factors for mortality of severe trauma based on 3 years' data at a single Korean institution

PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the mortality rate in patients with severe trauma and the risk factors for trauma mortality based on 3 years' data in a regional trauma center in Korea. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of severe trauma patients admitted to Ajou University Hospital with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) > 15 between January 2010 and December 2012. Pearson chi-square tests and Student t-tests were conducted to examine the differences between the survived and deceased groups. To identify factors associated with mortality after severe trauma, multivariate logistic regression was performed. RESULTS: There were 915 (743 survived and 172 deceased) enrolled patients with overall mortality of 18.8%. Age, blunt trauma, systolic blood pressure (SBP) at admission, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) at admission, head or neck Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) score, and ISS were significantly different between the groups. Age by point increase (odds ratio [OR], 1.016; P = 0.001), SBP ≤ 90 mmHg (OR, 2.570; P < 0.001), GCS score ≤ 8 (OR, 6.229; P < 0.001), head or neck AIS score ≥ 4 (OR, 1.912; P = 0.003), and ISS by point increase (OR, 1.042; P < 0.001) were significant risk factors. CONCLUSION: In severe trauma patients, age, initial SBP, GCS score, head or neck AIS score, and ISS were associated with mortality.