Improvement in outcome from trauma center care
H. R. Champion, W. J. Sacco and W. S. Copes
Department of Surgery, Washington Hospital Center, DC 20010-2975.
Survival and death outcomes for patients with blunt injuries treated at one
urban hospital were evaluated during a 6-year period of increasing
commitment to trauma care, as evidenced by the construction of a
resuscitation facility with integrated operating rooms. Patient survival,
when controlled for severity mix, showed a trend of improvement during the
study period. Improvement in survival outcome was more notable after the
opening of the trauma resuscitation facility and among the more severely
injured. When data from years 1 and 2 combined were compared with those
from years 5 and 6, a statistically significant difference in survival was
found, with an average of 13.44 more survivors per 100 patients treated per
year with Injury Severity Scores greater than 15.
