Missed orthopaedic injuries in adult trauma patients at a major trauma centre

Abstract

Introduction Despite advances in trauma care, missed injury remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in trauma worldwide. In England, few have published their missed injury rates and there are no recent data for London. In 2010 London trauma networks were restructured and the impact on missed injury rates is not known. This study aimed to determine the incidence of missed orthopaedic injury for adult trauma patients at St George’s Hospital, London, and to analyse missed injuries and comment on risk factors. Method Trauma patients were recorded prospectively at the daily trauma meeting from July to September 2012. The researcher attended clinical activities and reviewed the patient notes and radiology reports daily whilst each patient was an inpatient until discharge. Missed injuries were defined as fractures or dislocations discovered more than 12 h after arrival in the emergency department. The notes for missed injury patients were reviewed again at six months. Missed injury details were recorded/analysed. Results Three hundred and forty three adult trauma patients were referred to trauma and orthopaedics in the three-month study period; 5 (1.5%) had a missed injury and 148 (43.1%) had an ISS>15. All missed injuries occurred in these major trauma patients, giving an incidence of 5/148 (3.4%). Four were extremity injuries and one was cervical. All missed injury patients had a GCS of 15/15, were admitted outside normal working hours, were direct admissions and had whole-body CT. Conclusions At 3.4% our missed injury incidence is comparable to those published from similar major trauma centres. This provides recent London data following the restructuring of trauma networks.