Death in the Same Compartment as a Predictor for Injury Severity

Abstract

Objective: To determine if death in same compartment is useful as a predictor for injury severity and mortality. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted of 525 high-risk automobile accident victims. Data collected from Natividad Medical Center's trauma registry were used to analyze reports of adult patients from July 1 2014 to July 1 2017. 15 patients were victims of highrisk accidents with a death in the same compartment. These patients were compared with the other 510 patients. Results: Out of 15 patients who had death in same compartment, 2 (13%) were identified to have ISS>15 and 1 (6.7%) expired. Odds of severe injury (ISS>15) were not significantly different between groups [OR 0.73 95% CI 0.16-3.3]. Odds of death between the two groups were not significantly different [OR 2.0 95% CI 0.25-17]. Mean ISS between the two groups was not significant [9.1 ± 6.3 vs 8.3 ± 0.7 P=0.8]. Conclusion: "Death in the same compartment" has a similar prognostic value to other criteria outlined by the CDC.