Ocular injuries in trauma patients: an analysis of 28,340 trauma admissions in the 2003-2007 National Trauma Data Bank National Sample Program.
BACKGROUND
Trauma-induced eye injuries are the leading cause of monocular blindness in the United States. Few studies to date have focused on ocular injuries in the trauma population. Our intent was to determine the annual percentage of ocular injury, types of injuries, and percentage with ocular injury-related procedures performed during the same hospitalization.


METHODS
This study was a retrospective analysis of 28,340 patient records included in the National Trauma Data Bank National Sample Program from 2003 to 2007. Patients with ocular injuries and related procedures were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis and procedure codes and were subsequently grouped into categories of ocular injury using the criteria of the Barell body region injury diagnosis matrix. Weighted national estimates for the proportion of patients with ocular trauma were calculated based on the relative weights for patients in each facility within the sample universe. Weighted frequencies were expressed as a percentage of the total population of trauma admissions, with 95% confidence intervals calculated for precision.


RESULTS
During the time frame examined, 1.97% to 6.00% of annual trauma patient admissions included ocular injuries. The most common injuries were contusions or superficial injuries and then closed orbit fractures accounting for 0.95% to 2.48% and 0.58% to 2.37% of all injuries, respectively. Between 0.56% and 1.52% of annual trauma admission had both ocular trauma and related procedures during their hospitalization. Popular treatments were therapeutic procedures on eyelids, conjunctiva, and/or cornea occurring in 0.15% to 0.84% of all trauma patients. Facial fracture-related procedures were reported for between 0.16% and 0.65% of all trauma patient admissions.


CONCLUSIONS
The National Trauma Data Bank National Sample Program can be used to create useful estimates of ocular injury characteristics among patients seen in the population seen in trauma centers, including types of ocular injury and related procedures performed during the same admission.


METHODS
Epidemiologic study, level V.
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville 22908, USA.
Dawn
D
Scruggs
Ryan
R
Scruggs
George
G
Stukenborg
Peter A
PA
Netland
James Forrest
JF
Calland
D000328:Adult; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005131:Eye Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009917:Orbital Fractures / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014193:Trauma Centers; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology