Source of admission and outcomes for critically injured children in the mountain states.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether mortality and length of stay at a pediatric trauma center differ between patients admitted by interhospital transfer and those admitted directly from the injury scene.


METHODS
Analysis of prospectively collected data from a pediatric trauma center database.


METHODS
A designated regional level I pediatric trauma center.


METHODS
Injured children from birth to 17 years of age hospitalized between January 1, 2006, and September 30, 2007.


METHODS
Incident in-hospital mortality rates and length of stay at the trauma center were compared between patients admitted directly and those admitted by interhospital transfer, controlling for potential confounders.


METHODS
In-hospital mortality and duration of hospitalization.


RESULTS
Of 2192 patients admitted to the trauma center, 1175 (53.6%) were admitted directly from the injury scene. Patients admitted by interhospital transfer had higher injury severity and lower Glasgow Coma Scale scores at admission (P < .01). Of 31 deaths during the study period, 26 (83.9%) were among patients admitted by interhospital transfer. These patients had a 7-fold higher unadjusted incident rate of death (incidence rate ratio, 7.16; 95% confidence interval, 2.49-20.58) compared with those admitted directly. This finding remained (incidence rate ratio, 3.01; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-8.98) after adjustment for injury severity and Glasgow Coma Scale scores, elapsed time from injury until admission at the trauma center, and age. Among survivors, patients admitted by interhospital transfer stayed longer in the hospital than those admitted directly.


CONCLUSIONS
Pediatric trauma center mortality rates are lower among children admitted directly from the injury scene compared with those admitted by interhospital transfer.
Odetola
Folafoluwa O
FO
Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases,University of Michigan Health System, 300 N Ingalls St., Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. fodetola@med.umich.edu
Mann
N Clay
NC
Hansen
Kristine W
KW
Patrick
Stephen
S
Bratton
Susan L
SL
D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D015205:Northwestern United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010360:Patient Transfer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D015206:Southwestern United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014193:Trauma Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*