Correlation between arterial blood gas analysis and outcome in patients with severe head trauma

BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury is one of the major concerns of global public health, because it is the main cause of morbidity and mortality between young people. This study aimed to investigate the possible association between the parameters of arterial blood gas (ABG) and outcome of patients with severe head trauma. METHODS: In this prospective study, 70 patients with severe head trauma were studied in Urmia Imam Khomeini hospital during 18-month period of time. The parameters of ABG were documented within the 1st hour of admission, and their correlation was evaluated with Glasgow coma scale (GCS) and Glasgow outcome score (Gas). These parameters also were compared between expired and discharged patients. RESULTS: Seventy patients with severe head trauma including 60 males (85.7%) and 10 females (14.3%) with a mean age of 34.34 +/- 14.82 (range: 18-76) years were studied. The mortality rate during hospitalization was 38.6% (n=27). There was no significant correlation between the parameters of ABG and GCS score and GOS scores. Furthermore, there was no significant difference between the survivors and non-survivors in terms of the mean value of ABG parameters (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: ABG at the time of admission is not a significant predictor of outcome in patients with severe head trauma.