A 5-YEAR REVIEW OF TRAUMA CASES AMONG PATIENTS AGE 15-64 YEARS PRESENTING TO A SINGLE TRAUMA CENTER IN NORTHWESTERN CHINA

Abstract

Trauma is a major cause of morbidity, mortality and time lost from work in the People’s Republic of China.  In this study we aimed to review the characteristics of trauma cases among patients aged 15-64 years who presented to a single trauma center in northwestern China in order to inform efforts to prevent and manage this trauma. We retrospectively reviewed the trauma database at the First Hospital of Lanzhou University during 1 June 2020-31 May 2025.  The inclusion criteria for study subjects were: 1) being aged 15-to 64 years, 2) being seen at the trauma center at the study institution for an injury, 3) having medical records documenting the mechanism of injury, 4) having complete medical records that included relevant demographic and clinical data necessary for comprehensive analysis, and 5) presenting to the study institution during the study period.  The exclusion criterion for study subjects was: having missing or incomplete medical records. A total of 27,974 subjects were included in the study: 16,223 (58.0%) males (p-value <0.001).  The mean (±standard deviation) age of subjects was 36.6 (±13.3) (range: 15-64) years.  The most common causes of trauma were falls (n = 12,951, 46.30%), followed by road traffic accidents (n = 4,858, 17.37%), other trauma (n = 3,517, 12.57%) and cuts/stabs (n = 3,199, 11.44%).  The most common injured areas were extremities (n = 18,602, 66.53%) and head/neck (n = 5,911, 21.11%).  The most common time of injuries was 14:00-16:00 (n = 3,945, 14.10%), followed by 20:00-22:00 (n = 3,531, 12.62%) and 12:00-14:00 (n = 3,424, 12.24%).  The mostcases occurred during the Spring (n = 8,631, 30.85%), followed by Summer  (n = 7,257, 25.95%), Fall (n = 6,590, 23.57%) and Winter (n = 5,496, 19.65%) (p-value <0.001).  In summary, trauma was most common among young-to-middle-aged males with the most common types being falls and road traffic accidents, occurring more in the Spring the and mid-afternoon.  In conclusion, public health prevention efforts need to prioritize younger men, especially in the Spring and focus on prevention of falls and promote road safety.  Future studies are needed to determine what cost-effective interventions can reduce these trauma cases.