title: Risk factors for mortality in head-injured patients with probability of survival greater than 0.5.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Traumatic brain injury is one of the major problems and leading cause of death worldwide. The present study was aimed to identify factors responsible for mortality by comparing survivors and nonsurvivors in patients that had a low probability of mortality.
  
  
  METHODS
  A nested case-control study was conducted at Sawanpracharak Hospital from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007. All head injury deaths that had TRISS-PS greater than 0.5 were enrolled as the "case" patients. Head injured patients with TRISS-PS greater than 0.5 and that survived were chosen as the "control" patients. The number of controls per case was 2:1. Patients with ages < 15 were excluded from the present study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Six factors associated with increased mortality are age > or = 45 years (OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.1-2.3), alcohol intoxication (OR = 3.11, 95% CI = 1.4-6.9), admission GCS 3-8 (OR = 4.16, 95% CI = 2.4-7.2), arrival GCS-M < or = 4 (OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.0-2.0), Head-AIS > or = 4 (OR = 3.31, 95% CI = 1.3-8.3), and admission SBP < 90 mmHg (OR = 13.36, 95% CI = 3.2-56.3).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Head injury continues to be a substantial public health problem. Deaths that met criteria for low probability of mortality, especially in those without associated risk factors should be analyzed for errors that may be preventable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Sawanpracharak Hospital, Nakhonsawan, Thailand. wsuchart@yahoo.co.th
authors.forename: Suchart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wipassakornwarawut
authors.forename: Pornjan
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Suwonmontri
authors.forename: Siriluk
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thokaow
mesh_terms: D000063:Accidents, Traffic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D055815:Young Adult