Intubation Setting and Mortality in Trauma Patients Undergoing Hemorrhage Control Surgery: A Propensity Score-Matched Analysis

Abstract

Background: Endotracheal intubation is essential for airway management in trauma patients but may cause hemodynamic instability and delay critical resuscitation measures. Recent studies have suggested that emergency department (ED) intubation may be linked with higher mortality compared to operating room (OR) intubation in trauma patients. However, it remains unclear if these findings apply to broader trauma populations, including both civilian and military patients. This study uses a nationwide trauma registry to test the hypothesis that ED intubation is associated with higher in-hospital mortality among major trauma patients, compared to OR intubation.

Methods: Registry-based analysis of the Israeli National Trauma Registry evaluating major trauma (Injury Severity Score [ISS] ≥16) patients requiring hemorrhage control surgery between 2016 and 2023. ED intubation was the main exposure variable with in-hospital mortality serving as the primary outcome. Multivariable logistic regression and propensity score matching were applied to adjust for confounders, including injury severity, ED vital signs, penetrating injury, and blood product administration.

Results: The study included 975 patients, 470 (48.2%) of whom were intubated in the ED. ED-intubated patients had significantly higher ISS and higher proportion of profound shock compared to those intubated in the OR. In-hospital mortality was more common among patients intubated in the ED (22.6%) as compared with those intubated in the OR (8.5%). In the unadjusted logistic regression, ED intubation was associated with higher odds of in-hospital mortality (OR: 3.13, 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.15-4.62). However, after adjusting for several potential confounders, the association became nonsignificant and was persistent across sensitivity subgroup analyses. Propensity score matching resulted in 1:1 matching of 271 patients in each group, balancing characteristics such as ISS, profound shock, Glasgow Coma Scale, and penetrating injury. After matching, the mortality rate was similar between groups (12.5% for ED intubation vs 12.2% for OR intubation). In the matched cohort, logistic regression demonstrated no significant association between ED intubation and in-hospital mortality (OR: 0.97, 95% CI, 0.58-1.61). ED intubation was associated with a greater than 2-fold increase in odds of ICU admission in adjusted and propensity score-matched analyses.

Conclusions: ED intubation was not significantly associated with increased in-hospital mortality after controlling for injury severity and shock. These findings suggest that while ED intubation may be more frequent in severely injured patients, its independent impact on mortality in patients undergoing emergent surgery remains unclear, warranting further prospective investigation.