TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2022//
TI  - Does altitude increase the risk of traumatic aortic injuries? A retrospective cohort study among six level I trauma centers in the United States
JO  - Patient safety in surgery
A1  - Jarvis, Stephanie
A1  - Rudersdorf, Patrick
A1  - Poling, James
A1  - Hennig, Andreas
A1  - Salottolo, Kristin
A1  - Bouchard, Travis
A1  - Tanner, Allen
A1  - Erickson, Wendy
A1  - Bhuller, Sidra
A1  - Ouderkirk, Logan
A1  - Simpson, Jeffrey
A1  - Banton, Kaysie
A1  - Kim, Elizabeth
A1  - Bar-Or, David
SP  - e31
EP  - e31
VL  - 16
IS  - 1
N2  - BACKGROUND: Traumatic aortic injuries (TAIs) are rare but are associated with a high mortality. Prior studies have shown skiers and pilots, whose injuries occur at high altitudes, are at an increased risk for a TAI. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of altitude on the incidence of TAIs across all causes of injury. <br><br>METHODS: This retrospective cohort study at six Level I trauma centers (8/1/2016-1/1/2020) included adult blunt trauma patients with a chest or abdomen injury. High altitude injuries (> 5000 ft.) were compared to low altitude injuries (≤ 5000 ft.). The primary outcome was incidence of TAI. <br><br>RESULTS: There were 8562 patients, 37% were at high altitude and 63% at low altitude. High altitude patients were older (p < 0.01), more often Caucasian (p < 0.01) and had a higher ISS (p < 0.01). There was a significantly greater incidence of TAI at high altitude than low altitude (1.5% vs. 1.1%, p = 0.01). The median altitude was significantly higher for patients with a TAI than for patients without a TAI (5100 ft. vs. 1400 ft., p = 0.01). After adjustment, high altitude patients had 2-fold [OR: 2.4 (1.6, 3.7)] greater odds of having a TAI than low altitude patients. <br><br>CONCLUSION: TAIs were more prevalent among high altitude injuries. Providers should be aware of the increased incidence of TAIs at high altitudes particularly when there is a delay in diagnosis and transfer to a trauma center with appropriate resources to manage these critical injuries. TAI screening at high altitude trauma centers may improve survival rates.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1754-9493
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13037-022-00340-x
ID  - ref1
ER  -