TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2011//
TI  - Patients Referred to a Norwegian Trauma Centre: Effect of transfer distance on injury patterns, use of resources and outcomes
JO  - Journal of trauma management and outcomes
A1  - Kristiansen, Thomas
A1  - Lossius, Hans Morten
A1  - Soreide, Kjetil
A1  - Steen, Petter A.
A1  - Gaarder, Christine
A1  - Naess, Paal A.
SP  - 9
EP  - 9
VL  - 5
IS  - 1
N2  - BACKGROUND: Triage and interhospital transfer are central to trauma systems. Few studies have addressed transferred trauma patients. This study investigated transfers of variable distances to OUH (Oslo University Hospital, Ulleval), one of the largest trauma centres in Europe. METHODS: Patients included in the OUH trauma registry from 2001 to 2008 were included in the study. Demographic, injury, management and outcome data were abstracted. Patients were grouped according to transfer distance: [less than or equal to] 20km, 21-100km and > 100km. RESULTS: Of the 7.353 included patients, 5.803 were admitted directly, and 1.550 were transferred. The number of transfers per year increased, and there was no reduction in injury severity during the study period. Seventy-six per cent of the transferred patients were severely injured. With greater transfer distances, injury severity increased, and there were larger proportions of traffic injuries, polytrauma and hypotensive patients. With shorter distances, patients were older, and head injuries and injuries after falls were more common. The shorter transfers less often activated the trauma team: [less than or equal to] 20km -34%; 21-100km -51%; > 100km -61%, compared to 92% of all directly admitted patients. The mortality for all transferred patients was 11%, but was unequally distributed according to transfer distance. CONCLUSION: This study shows heterogeneous characteristics and high injury severity among interhospital transfers. The rate of trauma team assessment was low and should be further examined. The mortality differences should be interpreted with caution as patients were in different phases of management. The descriptive characteristics outlined may be employed in the development of triage protocols and transfer guidelines.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1752-2897
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1752-2897-5-9
ID  - ref1
ER  -