Abstract

Background and Objective. Non-ground level falls (NGF) are the predominating mechanism of injury in severely injured patients at the North Estonia Medical Centre (NEMC); which is unusual compared to other trauma centres in developed countries, where motor vehicle accidents predominate. Thus, we initiated the current study to describe the demographic profile and outcomes of severely injured patients hospitalized to the NEMC after NGF and to compare the results with other trauma centres.
Methods. All severely injured patients hospitalized to the NEMC between 1/2021 and 12/2024 were included, utilizing our
trauma registry. Comparisons between two subgroups (survivors and non-survivors) were included. The collected data included demographics, various trauma scores and outcomes. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality.
Results. During the study period, 315 severely injured patients were admitted to the NEMC. The most frequent mechanism of injury was NGF at 28.3%. Deceased patients were found to be significantly older (p=<0.001). Most of the NGF occurred due to accidents (93.3%). Severe head trauma was associated with higher mortality. Traumatic brain injury was the leading cause of death (83.3%). The median ISS was 25 (18-27). The overall mortality rate during our study period was 20.2% (95% CI: 11.8% – 28.7%).
Conclusions. The average age of NGF patients and the proportion of accidental falls were higher at the NEMC compared to many other
trauma centres in developed countries; however, other demographic parameters were similar. Old age and severe head injury were associated with higher mortality.