Trauma profile at a tertiary intensive care unit in Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Trauma is a leading cause of death worldwide and in Saudi Arabia. This study describes the injury profiles and ICU outcomes of patients in a tertiary trauma care referral center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. DESIGN AND SETTING: A retrospective analysis of ICU data collected prospectively over 5 years in a 21-bed medical and surgical intensive care unit (ICU) in a tertiary care teaching hospital. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We collected ICU data on all patients admitted secondary to motor vehicle accidents (MVAs), excluding patients younger than 18 years, brain dead patients and readmissions. We collected data on age, gender, and Glasgow coma scale score at admission, injury severity scores, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) score, and other data. Multivariate logistic regression was used to identify predictors of mortality. RESULTS: During the study period, of 1659 patients, MVA was the most common cause of injury (78.4%), followed by pedestrian accident (12.7%). ICU mortality included 221 patients (13.3%) during the study period. Severe head injury, age > 60 years, Glascow coma scale score, injury severity scores, APACHE II and international normalized ratio were independent predictors of mortality. CONCLUSION: MVA is very common in our country and leads to significant mortality and morbidity. Public education and strict law enforcement are needed to reduce these adverse events.