Abstract:
Introduction: Globally, Chest trauma is one of the major contributors of morbidity and
mortality among trauma patients. There are different studies conducted in Ethiopia
about the prevalence of chest injury and overall trauma mortality but not mortality
related to chest trauma
Objective: To assess magnitude of chest trauma mortality and associated factors
among adult patients admitted at University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized
Hospital, North West Ethiopia, 2020.
Methods: Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted from January1
2016
to December 30/2019.
Systematic random sampling procedure was used to recruit a total of 422 study
participants. Data were collected using pretested structured questionnaire and entered
into EPI INFO version 7. The analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social
Sciences (SPSS) version 23 software. Descriptive statistics of different variables were
presented by frequency and percentage. Binary logistic regression was used and
variables with p< 0.25 were entered into multivariable logistic regression analysis.
Finally, variables with p< 0.05 were declared as statistically significant factors.
Results: out of a total of 400 chest trauma patients about 7.2 %( 95% confidence
interval (CI) 4.8, 10.0) of them were died. Being aged [Adjusted odds ratio (AOR)
=3.52(1.46, 8.48)], having associated injury [AOR=4.23(1.49, 12.01)], late presentation
[AOR=2.93(1.22, 7.04)] and having complications [AOR=4.43(1.9, 10.3)] were
significantly significant with chest trauma mortality.
Conclusion and recommendation: The magnitude of mortality in chest trauma
patients was high and being old age group, having extra thoracic injury involvement,
development of complication after chest trauma and delayed presentation of the study
participants in the hospital were positively associated with chest trauma mortality.
Giving special attention to alder age group, patients with extra thoracic injury is
recommended. Besides, interventions which aimed to prevent complication of chest
trauma should be designed and chest trauma victims would better attend to health
institutions early.
.Key words: Chest trauma, factors, Gondar University Referral Hospital, Mortality.
