Open AccessPatterns of Head and Neck Injuries in Urban India: A Multicenter Study
Author(s) -
Kim Eric K.,
Suri Deepak,
Mahajan Anshul,
Bhandarkar Prashant,
Khajanchi Monty,
Gadgil Anita,
Ranganathan Kavitha,
Gerdin Warnberg Martin,
Roy Nobhojit,
Raykar Nakul P.
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
oto open
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2473-974X
DOI - 10.1177/2473974x221128217
Subject(s) - medicine , head and neck , intensive care unit , tertiary care , prospective cohort study , pediatrics , head injury , mortality rate , emergency medicine , cohort , retrospective cohort study , injury prevention , cohort study , poison control , surgery , intensive care medicine
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.