Trauma and co-morbidity--a pilot study

To study the adult trauma patient population at the Auckland Hospital in order to determine the age distribution of trauma, the prevalence and importance of co-morbid conditions and any effect of the latter on the length of stay in the hospital.

Data were collected on 78 consecutive patients admitted to the Auckland Hospital under the Trauma team between December 1999 and January 2000. Data were collected by interviewing the patient, as well as reviewing patient's medical notes and the Trauma Registry.

The prevalence of co-morbidities was 14.7%. No co-morbidity was found below the age of 40 years, but the prevalence of co-morbidity increased with age. The average length of stay for patients with no comorbidities and an Injury Severity Score (ISS) >15 was 19 days while for those with co-morbidities was 24.5 days--an increase of 29%.

This pilot study has found that a significant number of trauma patients being admitted to Auckland Hospital have a pre-existing co-morbid condition that may alter their length of stay. It is an important issue that warrants further investigation, in order to devise a more accurate prognostic scoring system.