Citation

Jung K, Matsumoto S, Smith A, Hwang K, Lee JCJ, Coimbra R. Surgery 2018; 164(3): 482-488.

Affiliation

Riverside University Health System Medical Center and Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Riverside, CA. Electronic address: r.coimbra@ruhealth.org.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.surg.2018.04.031

PMID

29884477

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The South Korean government recently developed a master plan for establishing a national trauma system based on the implementation of regional trauma centers. We aimed to compare outcomes between severely injured patients treated at a recently established South Korean trauma center and matched patients treated in American level-1 trauma centers.

METHODS: Two cohorts were selected from an institutional trauma database at Ajou University Medical Center (AUMC) and the American National Trauma Data Bank. Adult patients with an Injury Severity Score of ≥9 were included. Patients were matched based on covariates that affect mortality, using 1:1 propensity score matching. We compared outcomes between the two datasets and performed survival analyses.

RESULTS: We created 1,451 and 2,103 matched pairs for the pre-trauma center and post-trauma center periods, respectively. The in-hospital mortality rate was higher in the institutional trauma database pre-trauma center period compared with the American National Trauma Data Bank (11.6% versus 8.1%, P<.001). However, the mortality rate decreased in the institutional trauma database post-trauma center period and was similar to that in the American National Trauma Data Bank (6.9% versus 6.8%, P=.903). Being treated at Ajou University Medical Center Trauma Center was significantly associated with higher mortality during the pre-trauma center period (OR: 1.842, 95% CI: 1.336-2.540; P<.001), although no significant association was observed during the post-trauma center period (OR: 1.102, 95% CI: 0.827-1.468; P=.509).

CONCLUSION: The mortality rate improved after a trauma center was established in a South Korean hospital and is similar to that from matched cases treated at American level-1 trauma centers. Thus, creating trauma centers and a regional trauma system may improve outcomes in major trauma cases.

Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Language: en