The clinical profile of abdominopelvic injury and the determinants of length of stay and mortality in the intensive care unit of a tertiary hospital
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Abstract
Background. Associated with preventable mortality, 50% of abdominopelvic patients require an intensive care unit (ICU). Limited ICU beds in South Africa are significantly impacted by prolonged stays, with 20% of prolonged stays being a result of abdominopelvic injuries.
Objective. To describe the clinical profile and the determinants of length of stay and mortality in patients with abdominopelvic injury admitted to a tertiary hospital ICU.
Methods. A retrospective analysis of abdominopelvic injury patients admitted to the surgical ICU at Tygerberg Hospital from January 2021 to December 2023. Using REDCap, demographic and clinical profile data were captured from the Electronic Content Management system. Negative binomial and logistic regression models were used to examine the determinants of length of stay and ICU mortality. respectively.
Results. Of the 82 eligible participants, 79.3% were male, mean age of 36.5 years (95% confidence interval (CI) 33.8 - 39.1), with isolated abdominal injury accounting for 14.6% of cases. The median length of ICU and hospital stay was 5 days (interquartile range (IQR) 3 - 13), and 19 days (IQR 9 - 40.5), respectively, with age, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE II) score, shock index and relook surgery being the key determinants of length of ICU stay. Further to these factors, ICU mortality was associated independently with serum lactate levels (odds ratio 1.37 (95% CI 1.04 - 1.80) with the crude mortality rate (CMR) being 29.3%.
Conclusion. The majority of abdominopelvic injuries admitted to the ICU are non-isolated, with age, APACHE II score, shock index and relook surgery key determinants of ICU length of stay. Further, ICU mortality is associated with serum lactate levels. Adequate resuscitation and optimising initial surgery may help reduce patients’ stay in the ICU, and mortality.
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