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Hosseinpour H, Nelson A, Bhogadi SK, Magnotti LJ, Alizai Q, Colosimo C, Hage K, Ditillo M, Anand T, Joseph B. Should We Keep or Transfer Our Severely Injured Geriatric Patients to Higher Levels of Care? J Surg Res 2024; 300:15-24. [PMID: 38795669 DOI: 10.1016/j.jss.2024.03.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Interfacility transfer to higher levels of care is becoming increasingly common. This study aims to evaluate the association between transfer to higher levels of care and prolonged transfer times with outcomes of severely injured geriatric trauma patients compared to those who are managed definitively at lower-level trauma centers. METHODS Severely injured (Injury Severity Score >15) geriatric (≥60 y) trauma patients in the 2017-2018 American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program database managing at an American College of Surgeons/State Level III trauma center or transferring to a level I or II trauma center were included. Outcome measures were 24-h and in-hospital mortality and major complications. RESULTS Forty thousand seven hundred nineteen patients were identified. Mean age was 75 ± 8 y, 54% were male, 98% had a blunt mechanism of injury, and the median Injury Severity Score was 17 [16-21]. Median transfer time was 112 [79-154] min, and the most common transport mode was ground ambulance (82.3%). Transfer to higher levels of care within 90 min was associated with lower 24-h mortality (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 0.493, P < 0.001) and similar odds of in-hospital mortality as those managed at level III centers. However, every 30-min delay in transfer time beyond 90 min was progressively associated with increased odds of 24-h (aOR: 1.058, P < 0.001) and in-hospital (aOR: 1.114, P < 0.001) mortality and major complications (aOR: 1.127, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Every 30-min delay in interfacility transfer time beyond 90 min is associated with 6% and 11% higher risk-adjusted odds of 24-h and in-hospital mortality, respectively. Estimated interfacility transfer time should be considered while deciding about transferring severely injured geriatric trauma patients to a higher level of care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hamidreza Hosseinpour
- Division of Trauma, Critical Care, Burns, and Emergency Surgery, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Adam Nelson
- Division of Trauma, Critical Care, Burns, and Emergency Surgery, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Sai Krishna Bhogadi
- Division of Trauma, Critical Care, Burns, and Emergency Surgery, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Louis J Magnotti
- Division of Trauma, Critical Care, Burns, and Emergency Surgery, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Qaidar Alizai
- Division of Trauma, Critical Care, Burns, and Emergency Surgery, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Christina Colosimo
- Division of Trauma, Critical Care, Burns, and Emergency Surgery, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Kati Hage
- Division of Trauma, Critical Care, Burns, and Emergency Surgery, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Michael Ditillo
- Division of Trauma, Critical Care, Burns, and Emergency Surgery, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Tanya Anand
- Division of Trauma, Critical Care, Burns, and Emergency Surgery, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
| | - Bellal Joseph
- Division of Trauma, Critical Care, Burns, and Emergency Surgery, Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.
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Malkoc A, GnanaDev R, Panchel D, Nguyen A, Glover K, GnanaDev D, Woodward B, Schwartz S. Increased Mortality in Patients Transferred to a Level 1 Trauma Center with Blunt and Penetrating Extremity Vascular Injuries. Ann Vasc Surg 2024; 106:115-123. [PMID: 38754580 DOI: 10.1016/j.avsg.2024.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2023] [Revised: 01/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Trauma care depends on a complex transfer system to ensure timely and adequate management at major trauma centers. Patient outcomes depend on the reliability of triage in local or community hospitals and access to tertiary or quaternary trauma institutions. Patients with polytrauma, extremity trauma, or vascular injuries require multidisciplinary management at trauma hospitals. Our study investigated outcomes in this population at a level one trauma center in San Bernardino County, the largest geographic county in the contiguous United States. METHODS We conducted a retrospective review of all patients with extremity trauma who presented to a single level 1 trauma center over 10 years. The cohort was divided into following two groups: 1. transferred from another medical center for a higher level of care or 2. those who directly presented. Overall, 19,417 patients were identified, with 15,317 patients presenting directly and 3,830 patients transferred from an outside hospital. Extremity of vascular injuries was observed in 268 patients. Demographic data were ascertained, including the injury severity score, mechanism of injury, response level, arrival method, tertiary center emergency department disposition, and presence of vascular injury in the upper or lower extremities. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to assess patient mortality. RESULTS A total of 268 patients with vascular injuries were analyzed, including 207 nontransferred and 61 transferred patients. In the univariate analysis, injury severity score means were compared at 11.4 in nontransferred patients versus 8.4 in transferred (P < 0.001), 50% of blunt injury in the nontransferred group, and 28% in the transferred group (P < 0.001); in-hospital mortality was 4% in nontransferred patients versus 28% in the transferred group (P < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression demonstrated that mortality is 8 times more likely if a patient with vascular extremity injuries is transferred from an outside hospital. A 10% mortality rate was observed in patients without blood transfusion within 4 hr of arrival to the trauma center and 3% mortality in transferred patients transfused blood. CONCLUSIONS Extremity trauma with vascular injury can be lethal if managed appropriately. Patients transferred to our level 1 trauma center had a substantial increase in mortality compared with nontransferred patients. Furthermore, the transfer distance was associated with increased mortality. Further research is required to address this vulnerable patient population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aldin Malkoc
- Department of Surgery, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton, CA
| | - Raja GnanaDev
- Department of Surgery, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton, CA
| | - Dhruvi Panchel
- Department of Surgery, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton, CA
| | - Alexandra Nguyen
- Department of Surgery, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton, CA
| | - Keith Glover
- Department of Surgery, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton, CA; California University of Science and Medicine, Colton, CA
| | - Dev GnanaDev
- Department of Surgery, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton, CA; California University of Science and Medicine, Colton, CA
| | - Brandon Woodward
- Department of Surgery, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton, CA; California University of Science and Medicine, Colton, CA
| | - Samuel Schwartz
- Department of Surgery, Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton, CA; California University of Science and Medicine, Colton, CA.
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