Abstract
BACKGROUND: Trauma is a significant public health concern in Iran, with high mortality and morbidity rates. This study aimed to assess trauma patients' profiles in Shahroud, Iran. Study Design: A cross-sectional study. METHODS: The study involved trauma patients who met specific criteria at Imam Hossein hospital in Shahroud, Iran, between 2016 and 2023, using the National Trauma Registry of Iran (NTRI). The relationship between injury characteristics and the cause of injury was analyzed using chi-square test and post hoc analysis. Quintile regression models assessed the association of demographic and clinical variables with length of stay. RESULTS: Among 3513 trauma patients, road traffic crashes (RTCs) had a higher percentage of injuries with the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) between 9 and 12 (1.7%) compared to falls (0.3%) (P<0.001). Falls caused more moderate cases with injury severity scores (ISS) ranging from 9 to 15 (22.7%) than RTCs (17.1%) (P<0.001). RTC-related injuries required more ventilation (2.7%) and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions (11.1%) than falls (P<0.001). After adjusting for age, GCS, ISS, and body region, fall had a median length of stay nine hours shorter than RTCs (95% CI = -16.2, -1.8). CONCLUSION: Significant injury pattern differences were observed between RTCs and falls. RTCs had higher frequencies of injuries resulting in GCS scores between 9 and 12, while falls had higher frequencies of moderate ISS scores. In addition, patients with RTC-related injuries required more mechanical ventilation and ICU admissions. Moreover, after adjusting for various factors, patients with RTC-related injuries had a significantly longer hospital stay compared to those with fall-related injuries.