Citation

Kim EK, Suri D, Mahajan A, Bhandarkar P, Khajanchi M, Gadgil A, Ranganathan K, Gerdin Wärnberg M, Roy N, Raykar NP. OTO Open 2022; 6(4): e2473974X221128217.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, SAGE Publications)

DOI

10.1177/2473974X221128217

PMID

36247657

PMCID

PMC9558877

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The pattern of head and neck injuries has been well studied in high-income countries, but the data are limited in low- and middle-income countries, which are disproportionately affected by trauma. We examined a prospective multicenter database to describe patterns and outcomes of head and neck injuries in urban India. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective review of trauma registry. SETTING: Four tertiary public hospitals in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata.

METHODS: We identified patients with isolated head and neck injuries using International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes and excluded those with traumatic brain and/or ophthalmic injuries and injuries in other body regions.

RESULTS: Our cohort included 171 patients. Most were males (80.7%) and adults aged 18 to 55 years (60.2%). Falls (36.8%) and road traffic accidents (36.3%) were the 2 predominant mechanisms of injury. Overall, 35.7% required intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and 11.7% died. More than 20% of patients were diagnosed with "unspecified injury of neck." Those with the diagnosis had a higher ICU admission rate (51.4% vs 31.3%, P =.025) and mortality rate (27.0% vs 7.5%, P =.001) than those without the diagnosis.

CONCLUSION: Isolated head and neck injuries are not highly prevalent among Indian trauma patients admitted to urban tertiary hospitals but are associated with high mortality. Over a fifth of patients were diagnosed with "unspecified injury of neck," which is associated with more severe clinical outcomes. Exactly what this diagnosis entails and encompasses remains unclear.

Language: en

Keywords

India; trauma; global surgery; head and neck; low- and middle-income country