Missed injuries in military patients with major trauma: original study

The incidence and subsequent outcomes of missed injuries and the primary factors contributing to each missed injury were analyzed. Records of 709 trauma patients were reviewed between December 2003 and December 2004. Demographic data were compared and analyzed for two patient groups: those with mult...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Military medicine 2006-07, Vol.171 (7), p.598-602
Main Authors: Kalemoglu, Murat, Demirbas, Sezai, Akin, Mehmet Levhi, Yildirim, Ismail, Kurt, Yavuz, Uluutku, Haldun, Yildiz, Mehmet
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Child
Consciousness
Diagnostic Errors
Female
Hospitals
Humans
Injuries
Male
Medical Audit
Middle Aged
Military Medicine - standards
Morbidity
Mortality
Patients
Surgeons
Time Factors
Trauma
Turkey
Wounds and Injuries - diagnosis
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Summary:The incidence and subsequent outcomes of missed injuries and the primary factors contributing to each missed injury were analyzed. Records of 709 trauma patients were reviewed between December 2003 and December 2004. Demographic data were compared and analyzed for two patient groups: those with multiple injuries diagnosed in 24 hours and those with multiple injuries diagnosed in >24 hours. Fifty-two missed injuries were determined in 34 (4.8%) patients. There were significant differences between the patients with and without delayed diagnoses, including the mean injury severity scores (23 vs. 16.9), morbidity, and mortality (p < 0.05 for all). Among 69 contributing factors identified, 28 (40.6%) were unavoidable and 41 (59.4%) were potentially avoidable. Missed injuries could usually be encountered in the most seriously injured patients, particularly in those with altered levels of consciousness. Missed injuries were mostly avoidable and most were the result of inadequate clinical examination.
ISSN:0026-4075
1930-613X
DOI:10.7205/MILMED.171.7.598