Trauma mortality patterns in three nations at different economic levels: implications for global trauma system development.

BACKGROUND: Whereas organized trauma care systems have decreased trauma mortality in the United States, trauma system design has not been well addressed in developing nations. We sought to determine areas in greatest need of improvement in the trauma systems of developing nations. METHODS: We compared outcome of all seriously injured (Injury Severity Score > or = 9 or dead), nontransferred, adults managed over 1 year in three cities in nations at different economic levels: (1) Kumasi, Ghana: low income, gross national product (GNP) per capita of $310, no emergency medical service (EMS); (2) Monterrey, Mexico: middle income, GNP $3,900, basic EMS; and (3) Seattle, Washington: high income, GNP $25,000, advanced EMS. Each city had one main trauma hospital, from which hospital data were obtained. Annual budgets (in US$) per bed for these hospitals were as follows: Kumasi, $4,100; Monterrey, $68,000; and Seattle, $606,000. Data on prehospital deaths were obtained from vital statistics registries in Monterrey and Seattle, and by an epidemiologic survey in Kumasi. RESULTS: Mean age (34 years) and injury mechanisms (79% blunt) were similar in all locations. Mortality declined with increased economic level: Kumasi (63% of all seriously injured persons died), Monterrey (55%), and Seattle (35%). This decline was primarily due to decreases in prehospital deaths. In Kumasi, 51% of all seriously injured persons died in the field; in Monterrey, 40%; and in Seattle, 21%. Mean prehospital time declined progressively: Kumasi (102 +/- 126 minutes) > Monterrey (73 +/- 38 minutes) > Seattle (31 +/- 10 minutes). Percent of trauma patients dying in the emergency room was higher for Monterrey (11%) than for either Kumasi (3%) or Seattle (6%). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of deaths occur in the prehospital setting, indicating the importance of injury prevention in nations at all economic levels. Additional efforts for trauma care improvement in both low-income and middle-income developing nations should focus on prehospital and emergency room care. Improved emergency room care is especially important in middle-income nations which have already established a basic EMS.

Trauma care systems in urban Latin America: the priorities should be prehospital and emergency room management.

Trauma is a significant cause of premature death in developing nations, but financial resources to deal with it are extremely limited. To determine which segments of a developing nation's trauma system would be most amenable to improvements, we compared management and outcome of all seriously injured patients (Injury Severity Score of > or = 9 or died) treated over 1 year by the trauma systems associated with an urban hospital in Latin America, Regional Trauma Center 21 (n = 545) in Monterrey, Mexico, and a level I trauma center in the United States, Harborview Medical Center (n = 533) in Seattle, Wash. Mortality was higher in Monterrey (55%) than in Seattle (34%, p < 0.001), because of a preponderance of prehospital and emergency room (ER) deaths. In Monterrey, 40% of seriously injured patients died in the field and 11% in the ER, compared with 21% in the field and 6% in the ER in Seattle (p < 0.001). There were significant differences in prehospital care between the two trauma systems. Scene and transport times were < 30 minutes for 47% of Monterrey cases vs. 75% in Seattle (p < 0.001). For patients with arrival blood pressure < 80, prehospital intubations had been performed on 5% of Monterrey patients vs. 79% in Seattle (p < 0.001) and en route fluid resuscitation administered to 70% of Monterrey patients vs. 99% in Seattle (p < 0.001). The observed mortality patterns indicate that priorities for trauma system improvement in urban Latin America should focus on more rapid prehospital transport and improved en route and ER resuscitation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)