Cristian P Castro
Introduction Polytrauma constitutes one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, representing a significant public health problem that primarily affects the working-age population. It is defined as the simultaneous presence of multiple traumatic injuries affecting different organs and systems, resulting in a critical condition that requires a rapid, coordinated, and multidisciplinary response. Methods A retrospective, descriptive study was conducted among 229 patients who died following polytrauma at Coatepeque National Hospital between January 2020 and January 2025. The study included only patients with a documented in-hospital outcome. Therefore, patients transferred to a higher-level hospital, those discharged alive, and those discharged against medical advice were excluded. The study variables included the epidemiological profile (age, sex, and comorbidities) and characteristics of the injury (mechanism of trauma and primary cause of death). The mechanism of trauma was classified as blunt or penetrating, whereas the primary cause of death was classified into the following categories: traumatic brain injury, cervical trauma, thoracic trauma, abdominal trauma, pelvic trauma, extremity trauma, and other causes. The "other" category included spinal cord trauma, burns, and crush injuries. Results The study identified an in-hospital mortality rate of 6%, corresponding to 229 deaths. Among the patients who died, 175 (76.4%) were male and 54 (23.6%) were female. The 21-30-year age group represented the largest proportion of deaths, with 76 cases (33.2%), followed by the 31-40-year age group with 35 cases (15.3%) and the 71-80-year age group with 24 cases (10.5%). Traumatic brain injury was the most frequently documented cause of death, accounting for 160 cases (69.9%), followed by thoracic trauma with 24 cases (10.5%), abdominal trauma with 18 cases (7.9%), extremity trauma with 12 cases (5.2%), pelvic trauma with 10 cases (4.4%), cervical trauma with three cases (1.3%), and other causes with two cases (0.9%). Regarding the mechanism of injury, blunt trauma accounted for 173 cases (75.5%), whereas penetrating trauma accounted for 56 cases (24.5%). Most patients had no documented comorbidities, representing 180 cases (78.6%); among patients with documented comorbidities, diabetes mellitus was present in 23 cases (10.0%) and hypertension in 12 cases (5.2%). Conclusion The study provides baseline clinical and epidemiological information on in-hospital polytrauma mortality at the institution, contributing to the characterization of the affected population and establishing an institutional evidence base that may support clinical decision-making, healthcare planning, and future analytical research.