Mortality predictors in patients with pelvic fractures from blunt trauma

ABSTRACT Objective: to analyze the association of mortality with sociodemographic and clinical variables, as well as lesions and complication in patients with pelvic trauma due to blunt trauma. Methods: we conducted a retrospective, observational study with five-year trauma record data. Death was considered as the main stratification variable for the analyzes. We used the Student t test to compare means, the Chi-Square or Fisher exact test for proportions, and the Wilcoxon-Mann Whitney test for medians. We analyzed the independent factors using a logistic regression model with penalized likelihood, based on the Wald tests, the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and the Schwarz Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC). Results: of the 28 patients with blunt trauma fracture, 23 (82.1%) were men; 16 (57.1%) were, in average, 38.8 years old (±17.3). There were 98 lesions or fractures in the 28 patients. As for severity, seven people had Injury Severity Score higher than 24 (25%). The mean hospital stay was 26.8 days (±22.4). Fifteen patients (53.6%) had ICU admission. Mortality was 21.4%. The analysis showed that age 50 years or more and presence of coagulopathy were factors independently associated with death. Conclusion: pelvic fractures can have high mortality. In this study, mortality was higher than that described in the literature. Age above 50 years and the presence of coagulopathy are risk factors in this population.