Alumni, Faculty Contribute to Piece on Identifying Risk Factors for Pulmonary Complications in Trauma Patients
Consulting associates, DNP alumni and faculty contributed to "Using a Retrospective Secondary Data Analysis to Identify Risk Factors for Pulmonary Complications in Trauma Patients in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa."
Victoria Goode and Brett Morgan, consulting associates, Vrinda Punjabi, Joanna Niewiara and Lauren Roberts, DNP'19, Susan Silva, associate professor, and Katherine Pereira, professor emerita, contributed to "Using a Retrospective Secondary Data Analysis to Identify Risk Factors for Pulmonary Complications in Trauma Patients in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa" in the Journal of Surgical Research.
Abstract
Background
The trauma burden in South Africa is significant. The objective of this project was to investigate the incidence of posttrauma pulmonary complications (PPCs) and to identify patient, health risks, and hospital factors, which predispose trauma patients to develop PPCs hospital in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
Methods
The design was a retrospective secondary data analysis of patients who presented as a trauma admission via the health systems’ Hybrid Electronic Medical Registry. The final data set included 6382 trauma admissions.
Results
The PPC rate was 9.4% for patients with a surgical intervention versus 1.9% for those without a surgical intervention. Of the total 289 PPCs reported, the most common included pneumonia or atelectasis (46.4%) and prolonged ventilation (36.0%). The risk of developing a PPC was statistically significantly (P < 0.0001) associated with surgical intervention and the number of surgeries.
Conclusions
The trauma burden in South Africa requires complex medical and surgical interventions. The incidence of PPCs is significantly associated with surgical intervention. With the increasing demand to harness data and improve patient care, the Hybrid Electronic Medical Registry proves to be a driver for quality improvement.
Citation
Victoria Goode, Vrinda Punjabi, Joanna Niewiara, Lauren Roberts, John Bruce, Susan Silva, Brett Morgan, Katherine Pereira, Petra Brysiewicz, Damian Clarke, Using a Retrospective Secondary Data Analysis to Identify Risk Factors for Pulmonary Complications in Trauma Patients in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, Journal of Surgical Research, Volume 262, 2021, Pages 47-56, ISSN 0022-4804, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jss.2020.12.034 (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022480420308957)