title: Trauma care and referral patterns in Rwanda: implications for trauma system development.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Trauma remains a leading cause of death worldwide. The development of trauma systems in low-resource settings may be of benefit. The objective of this study was to describe operative procedures performed for trauma at a tertiary care facility in Kigali, Rwanda, and to evaluate geographical variations and referral patterns of trauma care.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed all prospectively collected operative cases performed at the largest referral hospital in Rwanda, the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Kigali (CHUK), between June 1 and Dec. 1, 2011, for injury-related diagnoses. We used the Pearson χ² and Fisher exact tests to compare cases arising from within Kigali to those transferred from other provinces. Geospatial analyses were also performed to further elucidate transfer patterns.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over the 6-month study period, 2758 surgical interventions were performed at the CHUK. Of these, 653 (23.7%) were for trauma. Most patients resided outside of Kigali city, with 337 (58.0%) patients transferred from other provinces and 244 (42.0%) from within Kigali. Most trauma procedures were orthopedic (489 [84.2%]), although general surgery procedures represented a higher proportion of trauma surgeries in patients from other provinces than in patients from within Kigali (28 of 337 [8.3%] v. 10 of 244 [4.1%]).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To our knowledge, this is the first study to highlight geographical variations in access to trauma care in a low-income country and the first description of trauma procedures at a referral centre in Rwanda. Future efforts should focus on maturing prehospital and interfacility transport systems, strengthening district hospitals and further supporting referral institutions.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Surgery, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda (Ntakiyiruta, Ruhungande, Kyamanywa); the Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Que. (Wong, Rousseau, Liberman, Khwaja, Dakermandji, Wilson, Razek, Deckelbaum); the Centre for Global Surgery, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Que. (Wong, Rousseau, Razek, Deckelbaum); the Surgeons Overseas, New York, NY (Wong, Kushner); the Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD (Kushner); and the Department of Surgery, Columbia University, New York, NY (Kushner).
authors.forename: Georges
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ntakiyiruta
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Surgery, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda (Ntakiyiruta, Ruhungande, Kyamanywa); the Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Que. (Wong, Rousseau, Liberman, Khwaja, Dakermandji, Wilson, Razek, Deckelbaum); the Centre for Global Surgery, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Que. (Wong, Rousseau, Razek, Deckelbaum); the Surgeons Overseas, New York, NY (Wong, Kushner); the Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD (Kushner); and the Department of Surgery, Columbia University, New York, NY (Kushner).
authors.forename: Evan G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Surgery, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda (Ntakiyiruta, Ruhungande, Kyamanywa); the Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Que. (Wong, Rousseau, Liberman, Khwaja, Dakermandji, Wilson, Razek, Deckelbaum); the Centre for Global Surgery, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Que. (Wong, Rousseau, Razek, Deckelbaum); the Surgeons Overseas, New York, NY (Wong, Kushner); the Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD (Kushner); and the Department of Surgery, Columbia University, New York, NY (Kushner).
authors.forename: Mathieu C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Rousseau
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Surgery, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda (Ntakiyiruta, Ruhungande, Kyamanywa); the Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Que. (Wong, Rousseau, Liberman, Khwaja, Dakermandji, Wilson, Razek, Deckelbaum); the Centre for Global Surgery, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Que. (Wong, Rousseau, Razek, Deckelbaum); the Surgeons Overseas, New York, NY (Wong, Kushner); the Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD (Kushner); and the Department of Surgery, Columbia University, New York, NY (Kushner).
authors.forename: Landouald
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ruhungande
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Surgery, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda (Ntakiyiruta, Ruhungande, Kyamanywa); the Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Que. (Wong, Rousseau, Liberman, Khwaja, Dakermandji, Wilson, Razek, Deckelbaum); the Centre for Global Surgery, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Que. (Wong, Rousseau, Razek, Deckelbaum); the Surgeons Overseas, New York, NY (Wong, Kushner); the Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD (Kushner); and the Department of Surgery, Columbia University, New York, NY (Kushner).
authors.forename: Adam L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Kushner
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Surgery, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda (Ntakiyiruta, Ruhungande, Kyamanywa); the Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Que. (Wong, Rousseau, Liberman, Khwaja, Dakermandji, Wilson, Razek, Deckelbaum); the Centre for Global Surgery, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Que. (Wong, Rousseau, Razek, Deckelbaum); the Surgeons Overseas, New York, NY (Wong, Kushner); the Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD (Kushner); and the Department of Surgery, Columbia University, New York, NY (Kushner).
authors.forename: Alexander S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Liberman
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Surgery, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda (Ntakiyiruta, Ruhungande, Kyamanywa); the Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Que. (Wong, Rousseau, Liberman, Khwaja, Dakermandji, Wilson, Razek, Deckelbaum); the Centre for Global Surgery, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Que. (Wong, Rousseau, Razek, Deckelbaum); the Surgeons Overseas, New York, NY (Wong, Kushner); the Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD (Kushner); and the Department of Surgery, Columbia University, New York, NY (Kushner).
authors.forename: Kosar
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Khwaja
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Surgery, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda (Ntakiyiruta, Ruhungande, Kyamanywa); the Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Que. (Wong, Rousseau, Liberman, Khwaja, Dakermandji, Wilson, Razek, Deckelbaum); the Centre for Global Surgery, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Que. (Wong, Rousseau, Razek, Deckelbaum); the Surgeons Overseas, New York, NY (Wong, Kushner); the Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD (Kushner); and the Department of Surgery, Columbia University, New York, NY (Kushner).
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dakermandji
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Surgery, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda (Ntakiyiruta, Ruhungande, Kyamanywa); the Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Que. (Wong, Rousseau, Liberman, Khwaja, Dakermandji, Wilson, Razek, Deckelbaum); the Centre for Global Surgery, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Que. (Wong, Rousseau, Razek, Deckelbaum); the Surgeons Overseas, New York, NY (Wong, Kushner); the Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD (Kushner); and the Department of Surgery, Columbia University, New York, NY (Kushner).
authors.forename: Marnie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Surgery, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda (Ntakiyiruta, Ruhungande, Kyamanywa); the Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Que. (Wong, Rousseau, Liberman, Khwaja, Dakermandji, Wilson, Razek, Deckelbaum); the Centre for Global Surgery, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Que. (Wong, Rousseau, Razek, Deckelbaum); the Surgeons Overseas, New York, NY (Wong, Kushner); the Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD (Kushner); and the Department of Surgery, Columbia University, New York, NY (Kushner).
authors.forename: Tarek
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Razek
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Surgery, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda (Ntakiyiruta, Ruhungande, Kyamanywa); the Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Que. (Wong, Rousseau, Liberman, Khwaja, Dakermandji, Wilson, Razek, Deckelbaum); the Centre for Global Surgery, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Que. (Wong, Rousseau, Razek, Deckelbaum); the Surgeons Overseas, New York, NY (Wong, Kushner); the Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD (Kushner); and the Department of Surgery, Columbia University, New York, NY (Kushner).
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kyamanywa
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Surgery, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda (Ntakiyiruta, Ruhungande, Kyamanywa); the Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Que. (Wong, Rousseau, Liberman, Khwaja, Dakermandji, Wilson, Razek, Deckelbaum); the Centre for Global Surgery, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Que. (Wong, Rousseau, Razek, Deckelbaum); the Surgeons Overseas, New York, NY (Wong, Kushner); the Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD (Kushner); and the Department of Surgery, Columbia University, New York, NY (Kushner).
authors.forename: Dan L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Deckelbaum
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006786:Hospitals, Urban / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012432:Rwanda; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014193:Trauma Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D055815:Young Adult
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