Frequency of Post Trauma Complications during Hospital Admission and its Association with Injury Severity Score (ISS).

OBJECTIVES: Multiple trauma is associated with a remarkable risk of in-hospital complications, which harmhealthcare services and patients. This study aimed to assess the incidence of post-trauma complications, their relationship with poor outcomes, and the effect of injury severity score (ISS) on their occurrence.

METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at two trauma centers, between January 2020 and December 2022. All hospitalized adult patients with multiple trauma were included in this study. Multivariable logistic regression was used to find factors related to post-trauma complications.

RESULTS: Among 727 multiple trauma patients, 90 (12.4%) developed in-hospital complications. The most frequent complications were pneumonia (4.8%), atelectasis (3.7%), and superficial surgical site infection (2.5%). According to multivariable logistic regression, ISS, ICU length of stay, hospital length of stay, and mortality were significantly associated with complications. The complication rate increased by 17% with every unit increase in ISS (adjusted odds ratio=1.17, 95% CI= 1.00-1.38). Per one-day longer stay in ICU and hospital, the complication rate increased by 65% (adjusted odds ratio=1.65, 95% CI= 1.00-2.73) and 20% (adjusted odds ratio=1.20, 95% CI= 1.03-1.41), respectively. The post-trauma complication was also 163 times higher in patients with mortality (adjusted odds ratio=163.30, 95% CI= 3.04-8779.32). In higher ISS, the frequency, severity, and number of complications significantly increased in multiple trauma patients.

CONCLUSIONS: In-hospital complications in multiple trauma patients were frequent and associated with poor outcome and mortality. ISS was an important factor associated with post-trauma complications.