Situation of Trauma Death and Management Prior to Death

Abstract

Proper care of persons with severe traumatic injuries and life-threatening conditions from pre-hospital to trauma center can decrease possible preventable death and preventable death. This retrospective descriptive study aimed to study situation of trauma death and management prior to death. Samples consisted of data of 102 traumatic injured persons who died during receiving care on scene, during transfer to hospital or from hospital to hospital, or in trauma center level 1 from January 2011 to December 2013. Instruments used for data collection included the situation of trauma death record form and the management prior to death record form, developed by the researcher based on the Advanced Trauma Life Support framework and literature review. Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis.

The study results showed that trauma death were mostly caused by traffic accidents (86.28%). The most common injured sites were head and neck (49.02%). Hemorrhage was the most common cause of death (46.08%). Means of the Injury Severity Score, the Revised Trauma Score, and the Trauma Score-Injury Severity Score were 24.29 (S.D. 10.85), 0.92 (S.D. 1.92) and 0.18 (S.D. 0.22), respectively. Management of airway, breathing, and circulatory system prior to death during pre-hospital, during transfer from hospital to hospital, and in trauma center were mostly appropriate. Inappropriate managements of airway, breathing, and circulatory system during pre-hospital period were 22.22%, 22.22% and 11.11%, respectively, and during transfer from hospital to hospital were 5.88, 11.76, and 35.29, respectively. In trauma center, there were 37.25% of inappropriate management of circulatory system. This study results can be used as a basis for further effective improvement of trauma care system.