Factors Associated With In-Hospital Mortality After Road Traffic Accidents in Bukavu

Abstract

<title>Abstract</title> Background Road accidents continue to weigh heavily on the healthcare system in developing countries. Very few studies on the severity of road accidents have been conducted in Bukavu and in the Democratic Republic of Congo in general. We conducted a cross-sectional, analytical study with prospective data collection, to determine the factors associated with in-hospital mortality following road traffic accidents in Bukavu. Methods Victims of road traffic accidents who consulted the emergency department of the Bukavu Provincial General Reference Hospital (HPGRB), a public hospital, were recruited consecutively between April 1, 2021 and April 1, 2022. Epidemiological and clinical information was collected from medical records. Independent variables associated with mortality were assessed using multivariate logistic regression . Results The mean age of participants was 30(24.42) years, three-quarters were aged between 18 and 40 and 76.41% were male. 57% (191) had limb injuries and 163(48.65%) head injuries, while 35.63% (119) had fractures. Female gender (aOR = 0.08, 95% CI: 0.01–0.40, p = 0.002); unemployed (aOR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.28–0.97, p = 0.042); respiratory distress (aOR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.86–0.95, p = 0.001) and low GCS (Glasgow Coma Scale) (≤ 12) on admission (p = 0.001) were associated with post RTA mortality in our study subjects. Conclusion In-hospital mortality post RTA was associated with female gender, respiratory distress, unemployment and low GCS on admission. By improving prevention strategies and developing a trauma system that includes pre-hospital care, improved in-hospital surgical services and post-rehabilitation services, thousands of lives could be saved in the future.