Increased odds of death for patients injured at locations farthest from level 1 or 2 trauma centers
FRIDAY, Feb. 9, 2018 (HealthDay News) — The characteristics of an injury scene are associated with injury mortality, with increased odds of death linked to increased distance to the nearest trauma center, according to a study published online Feb. 7 in JAMA Surgery.
Molly P. Jarman, Ph.D., from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, and colleagues examined the correlation between injury scene characteristics and injury mortality in a cross-sectional study. Data from trauma center and emergency medical services were geocoded by injury incident locations and linked with injury scene characteristics.
The researchers found that there was an 8 percent increase in the odds of death for every five-mile increase in distance to the nearest trauma center (odds ratio, 1.08). Compared with privately owned level 1 and 2 trauma centers, there was an increase in the odds of death when the nearest trauma center was level 3 or publicly owned (odds ratios, 1.5 and 1.81, respectively). At the level of ZIP code tabulation area, the odds of death increased with every five-year increase in median age, and decreased when the per capita income was above $25,000 (odds ratios, 1.16 and 0.73, respectively).
“Odds of death are highest for patients injured in communities with higher median age or lower per capita income and at locations farthest from level 1 or 2 trauma centers,” the authors write.
One author disclosed financial ties to the publishing industry for books related to trauma and critical care.
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