Clinical Outcome of Acute Epidural Hematoma in Korea: Preliminary Report of 285 Cases Registered in the Korean Trauma Data Bank System

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this preliminary collaborative study was to assess the clinical characteristics, management, and outcome of epidural hematoma (EDH) based on the data collected and registered in the Korean Trauma Data Bank System (KTDBS). METHODS: Of 2,698 patients registered in the KTDBS between September 2010 and March 2014, 285 patients with EDH were analyzed. Twenty-three trauma centers participated in the study voluntarily to collect data. We subcategorized the patients into two groups with good and poor outcomes. Various clinical characteristics and the time intervals with regard to treatment course were investigated to determine the relationship between these parameters and the functional outcome. RESULTS: Of multiple parameters for this analysis, older age (p=0.0003), higher degree of brain injury (p<0.0001), cases of surgical EDH (p<0.0001), time interval from trauma to hospital before 6 hours, and the decreasing pattern of Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) between and initial and final GCS were strongly associated with poor outcome. Use of prophylactic anticonvulsant did not affect the functional outcome. There was an interesting difference in the use of mannitol in treating EDH between the urban and rural regions (p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: This is the first multi-center analysis of etiology of injury, pre-hospital care, treatment, and functional outcome of EDH in Korea. The degree of brain injury and the GCS difference were notable factors that were significant in determining the functional outcome of EDH.