Background: Mortality after trauma has been shown to be influenced by host factors, such as age and preexisting medical conditions (PMCs). The independent predictive value of specific PMCs for in-hospital mortality after adjustment for injury severity, injury pattern, age, and presence of other PMCs has not been fully elucidated.
Study design: Records of 11,142 trauma patients (18 years of age or older, Injury Severity Score > or = 16, years 2002 to 2007) documented in the Trauma Registry of the German Society for Trauma Surgery were analyzed to assess the association of PMCs with in-hospital mortality. Multiple logistic regression models were used for this analysis.
Results: PMCs were affirmed for 3,836 of the 11,142 patients studied (34.4%). An independent statistical association with increased in-hospital mortality was found for 6 of 14 analyzed PMCs after adjustment for age and the Revised Injury Severity Classification score, respectively, ie, heart disease, obesity, hepatitis/liver cirrhosis, malignancies, coagulation disorder, and peripheral arterial occlusive disease stage IV. The association with mortality varied with different injury patterns.
Conclusion: Specific PMCs were associated with increased mortality after trauma independent from injury severity and age. Knowledge of the identified relevant PMCs could help the medical team to be able to assess the mortality risk profile of trauma patients in a more detailed and quantifiable way.