Abstract

PURPOSE
The base deficit (BD) at admission in severely injured patients has been shown to predict the adequacy of resuscitation and outcome, but this relationship is not well established in the Korean experience. The purpose of this study was to define the association between arterial blood gas (ABG) values and the mortality for patients with severe blunt trauma at a developing trauma center in Korea.
METHODS
A retrospective review of 415 adult patients with severe blunt trauma was conducted using electronic medical records from Jan. 2010 to Dec. 2011.
RESULTS
A total of 256 patients had ABG drawn within 1 hour of arrival. Patients who expired displayed a higher lactate level (4.86 vs. 3.31, p<0.0001), a worse BD (-7.99 vs. -5.37, p=0.001), and a lower pH (7.31 vs. 7.34, p=0.011) at arrival compared with those who survived. A statistically significant association was also observed between BD and blood product usage (p=0.001).
CONCLUSION
The base deficit at admission is a useful marker of mortality and outcome in severely injured patients with blunt trauma in Korea.

• Keywords: Blunt traumaBlood gas analysisLactate