A trauma database was analysed to see if patients who were transported from the field to a non-trauma centre (NTC) and subsequently sent on to a trauma centre (TC) for definitive care fared worse than similar patients who were transferred directly to the TC.
There were 1,112 patients of whom 318 (29%) were initially triaged to a NTC. After adjusting for confounders, this was associated with an increase in prehospital crystalloids (4.2 L vs. 1.4 L, p < 0.05) and a 12-fold increase in blood transfusions (60% vs. 5%, p < 0.001). Age, injury severity score, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score, and time from injury to TC arrival were independent predictors of mortality. The odds of death were 3.8 times greater (95% CI, 1.6–9.0) when patients were initially triaged to a nontrauma facility.
The authors conclude: triaging severely injured patients to hospitals that are incapable of providing definitive care is associated with increased mortality. Attempts at initial stabilization at an NTC may be harmful. These findings are consistent with a need for continued expansion of regional trauma systems.
Scoop and Run to the Trauma Center or Stay and Play at the Local Hospital: Hospital Transfer’s Effect on Mortality
Journal of Trauma-Injury Infection & Critical Care September 2010;69(3):595-601