Coronary artery calcification detected by initial polytrauma CT in severely injured patients: retrospective single-center cohort study.

Objectives: Coronary artery calcifications detected by computed tomography (CT) provide prognostic relevance for vascular disorders and coronary heart disease, whereas their prognostic relevance in severely injured trauma patients remains unclear.

Material and methods: All consecutive trauma patients requiring emergency tracheal intubation before initial CT at a level-1 trauma center and admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) over a 12-year period (2008-2019) were reanalyzed. The Weston score, a semiquantitative method to quantify coronary calcifications, was evaluated as a prognostic variable based upon whole-body trauma CT analysis.

Results: Four hundred fifty-eight patients (74.6% male) with a median age of 49 years, median injury severity score of 26 points, 24-h mortality rate of 7.6%, and 30-day mortality rate of 22.1% met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Coronary artery calcification was present in 214 patients (46.7%). After adjustment for confounding factors, the Weston score was an independent predictor for 24-h mortality (hazard ratio, HR 1.19, 95% confidence interval, CI 1.06-1.32, p = .002) and 30-day mortality (HR 1.09, 95% CI 1.01-1.17, p = .027). In a subanalysis of 357 survivors, the Weston score was significantly associated with ICU length of stay (LOS) (beta weight 0.89, 95% CI 0.3-1.47, p = .003) but not with mechanical ventilation duration (beta weight 0.05, 95% CI -0.2-0.63, p = .304).

Conclusion: CT-detected coronary calcification was a significant prognostic factor for 24-h- and 30-day-mortality in severely injured trauma patients requiring tracheal intubation, and influenced ICU LOS in survivors.