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Trauma admissions to the ICU of a tertiary hospital in a low resource setting


AT Adenekan
AF Faponle

Abstract

Background: Trauma remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in resource challenged economies. In Nigeria, the number of deaths due to trauma-induced injuries is on the rise. Major trauma victims are usually admitted into the intensive care unit in our hospital. The aim of this study is to assess the outcome of the trauma cases admitted to the ICU. Methods: We performed an eight-year retrospective review of all trauma admissions into our multidisciplinary six bed intensive care unit (ICU) to assess the impact of trauma on the ICU. Data collected was processed using the Statistical Packages for the Social Scientists 16.0. Results: Three hundred and seventy two cases (372) cases of major trauma were admitted during the study period, representing 41.6% of the total ICU admissions. The male to female ratio was 2.3:1, while the mean age of the trauma patients was 32.8 yrs compared to 37.0 yrs for non-trauma cases. Trauma admissions were almost exclusively emergencies (93.8%) with a mean ICU length of stay of 7.7 ± 8.1 days. Survivors had a statistically significant longer length of stay (LOS) than non-survivors (11.6 ± 9.8 vs. 4.2 ± 3.9 days [p = 0.0001]). Mortality rate of trauma patients was significantly higher than that of all ICU admissions (53.2% vs. 37.9%, p = 0.0001). Road traffic crashes were responsible for most deaths (68.6%) followed by burn injuries (29.9%). Conclusion: Trauma is a leading cause of intensive care utilization in our hospital,. Management strategy should include increased public enlightenment campaign, enforcement of safety rules and improved pre- and in-hospital care of trauma victims.

Keywords: Trauma; Intensive care

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eISSN: 0794-2184
print ISSN: 0794-2184