title: TRISS unexpected survivors--a statistical phenomenon or a clinical reality?
abstract: Data from patients treated in Pennsylvania-accredited trauma centers during 1989 were analyzed. TRISS expected and unexpected survivors (1.6% of all survivors) differed in many ways. Unexpected survivors were more than twice as likely to have been transferred from a nondesignated trauma center (45.8% vs. 22.8%, p < 0.001). Unexpected survivors had significantly higher frequencies of motor vehicle injuries (56.2% vs. 38.3%, p < 0.001), pedestrian injuries (9.6% vs. 5.4%, p < 0.01), and gunshot wounds (7.3% vs. 4.7%, p < 0.01). Expected survivors were injured more frequently in falls (26.1% vs. 10.8%, p < 0.001) and were less frequently male (64.5% vs. 75%, p < 0.001). Unexpected survivors had significantly longer average hospital stay (29.6 s vs. 9.3 days, p < 0.001) and more frequent (98.8% vs. 36.8%, p < 0.001) and longer average stays in the ICU (13.3 s vs. 4.1 days, p < 0.001). The percentage of unexpected survivors discharged to rehabilitation centers (61.9%) was significantly greater than that for expected survivors (8.7%), (p < 0.001). Unexpected survivors were more frequently judged "completely dependent" in five measures of functional disability than expected survivors. We conclude that unexpected survivors are a seriously injured and clinically relevant patient set, not just a statistical phenomenon.
authors: Trauma Department, Guthrie Clinic, Sayre, Pennsylvania.
authors: A R
authors: AR
authors: Gillott
authors: W S
authors: WS
authors: Copes
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Langan
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Najarian
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Wiseman
authors: W J
authors: WJ
authors: Sacco
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016208:Databases, Factual; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010351:Patient Discharge / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010414:Pennsylvania / Q000453:epidemiology; D012042:Registries; D012047:Rehabilitation Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D014193:Trauma Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality*