Few previous studies have been conducted on the prehospital management of hypotensive trauma patients in Stockholm County. The aim of this study was to describe the prehospital management of hypotensive trauma patients admitted to the largest trauma center in Sweden, and to assess whether prehospital trauma life support (PHTLS) guidelines have been implemented regarding prehospital time intervals and fluid therapy. In addition, the effects of the age, type of injury, injury severity, prehospital time interval, blood pressure, and fluid therapy on outcome were investigated.

This is a retrospective, descriptive study on consecutive, hypotensivetrauma patients (systolic blood pressure ≤90 mmHg on the scene of injury) admitted to Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden, during 2001–2003. The reported values are medians with interquartile ranges. Basic demographics, prehospital time intervals and interventions, injury severity scores (ISS), type and volumes of prehospital fluid resuscitation, and 30-day mortality were abstracted. The effects of the patient's age, gender, prehospital time interval, type of injury, injury severity, on-scene and emergency department blood pressure, and resuscitation fluid volumes on mortality were analyzed using the exact logistic regression model.

In 102 (71 male) adult patients (age ≥15 years) recruited, the median age was 35.5 years (range: 27–55 years) and 77 patients (75%) had suffered blunt injury. The predominant trauma mechanisms were falls between levels (24%) and motor vehicle crashes (22%) with an ISS of 28.5 (range: 16–50). The on-scene time interval was 19 minutes (range: 12–24 minutes). Fluid therapy was initiated at the scene of injury in the majority of patients (73%) regardless of the type of injury (77 blunt [75%] / 25 penetrating [25%]) or injury severity (ISS: 0–20; 21–40; 41–75). Age (odds ratio (OR) = 1.04), male gender (OR = 3.2), ISS 21–40 (OR = 13.6), and ISS >40 (OR = 43.6) were the significant factors affecting outcome in the exact logistic regression analysis.

The time interval at the scene of injury exceeded PHTLS guidelines. The vast majority of the hypotensive trauma patients were fluid-resuscitated on-scene regardless of the type, mechanism, or severity of injury. A predefined fluid resuscitation regimen is not employed in hypotensive trauma victims with different types of injuries. The outcome was worsened by male gender, progressive age, and ISS >20 in the exact multiple regression analysis.