Immobilization of trauma patients and in-hospital clinical progression.
Anne de Aguiar Gondim, Keyliane Costa de Souza, Quíria Ribeiro da Silva Monteiro and 3 others
PMID 42606573WHAT IT FOUND
All injured trauma patients were immobilized in prehospital care, and 56.9% of patients without injury were too, while those with injury had longer stays and died more often.
Key findings
01All patients with injury were immobilized in prehospital care, and 56.9% of patients without injury were also immobilized.
02Hospital stay was longer among immobilized patients with injury, with a median of 3 days, compared with 0 days among those without injury.
03Hospital discharge was more frequent among patients without injury (94.8%), and death was more frequent among those with injury (7.9%).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was done in one public emergency hospital in Rio Branco, so results may not apply to other trauma systems or hospitals. The sample was convenience-based and the authors noted sample size as a limitation, so the groups may not represent all trauma patients. Injury status was identified from imaging, surgical notes, and records, so missed or poorly documented injuries could affect the comparison. This was an observational cohort, not a trial, so it shows association between immobilization, injury, and progression but cannot show that immobilization caused longer stay or death.
Declared interests
No funding or conflict-of-interest statement appears in the article.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that immobilization caused longer stays or deaths. The study compared patients with and without injury, and all injured patients were immobilized, so the effect of immobilization cannot be separated from injury and other care.