OBJECTIVE:
This study compared the
prognosis of
patients who visited the
trauma center directly (direct visit group) with those transferred from the non-
trauma center (transferred group).
METHODS:
The
patients,
who were 18 or older with
Injury Severity Score of 15 or more in the
trauma center at Busan, were studied from October 2015 to October 2016. To compare the
treatment time between the direct visit and transferred group, first
treatment time, final
treatment time, and
time to visit the
trauma center were examined. To compare the
prognosis, this study compared the 48-hour, 7-day, and
in-hospital mortality rate as well as the duration of
intensive care unit (ICU) and total
hospital stay. To analyze the factors affecting the outcome of transferred group, the
physician's level and
procedures that had been performed at the non-
trauma center were examined.
RESULTS:
The
mortality was
similar in the direct visit and transferred group (48-hour 7.6% vs. 4.6%, P=0.111; 7-day 11.1% vs. 7.2%, P=0.89; and in-
hospital 14.6% vs. 11.3%, P=0.214). The length of ICU and total
hospital stay were
similar in the two groups. The
mortality was higher in the
patients in the transferred group when using
intubation, transfusion, and
pressure intensifier. The intubated
patients showed higher
mortality according to
logistic regression.
CONCLUSION:
The
mortality, length of ICU, and
hospital stay were
similar but the
time to visit the
trauma center and the final
treatment time were longer in transferred group. Stabilizing the
patient at the near non-
trauma center may be more helpful for some
patients.