Hospital transfer, airway management and length of stay
| Category | Group | Severe TBI n (%) | Moderate TBI n (%) | Mild TBI n (%) | GCS not recorded n (%) | Total n (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total number of patients | 3915 | 899 | 10 266 | 742 | 15 822 | |
| Mode of arrival (direct admissions, n=13 824) | Ambulance | 2504 (71.6%) | 662 (83.8%) | 6951 (76.6%) | 51 (11.1%) | 10 168 (73.5%) |
| Car | 3 (0.1%) | 1 (0.1%) | 65 (0.7%) | 7 (1.5%) | 76 (0.5%) | |
| Helicopter | 660 (18.9%) | 27 (3.4%) | 309 (3.4%) | 0 (0%) | 996 (7.2%) | |
| Other | 1 (0%) | 1 (0.1%) | 38 (0.4%) | 1 (0.2%) | 41 (0.3%) | |
| Unknown | 329 (9.4%) | 99 (12.5%) | 1714 (18.9%) | 402 (87.2%) | 2544 (18.4%) | |
| Transfer status (all patients), n=15 820 | Direct admission to neurocentre | 2353 (60.1%) | 365 (40.6%) | 3374 (32.9%) | 167 (22.5%) | 6259 (39.6%) |
| Transfer into neurocentre | 945 (24.1%) | 181 (20.1%) | 2298 (22.4%) | 259 (34.9%) | 3683 (23.3%) | |
| No neurocentre visit | 617 (15.8%) | 353 (39.3%) | 4594 (44.7%) | 316 (42.6%) | 5880 (37.2%) | |
| Hours to arrival at neurocentre (n=9940) | 0–4 | 2225 (67.5%) | 303 (55.5%) | 2621 (46.2%) | 46 (10.8%) | 5195 (52.3%) |
| 4–12 | 438 (13.3%) | 64 (11.7%) | 733 (12.9%) | 19 (4.5%) | 1254 (12.6%) | |
| 12–24 | 57 (1.7%) | 21 (3.8%) | 252 (4.4%) | 8 (1.9%) | 338 (3.4%) | |
| 24–48 | 32 (1%) | 9 (1.6%) | 147 (2.6%) | 6 (1.4%) | 194 (2%) | |
| 48–72 | 3 (0.1%) | 1 (0.2%) | 73 (1.3%) | 1 (0.2%) | 78 (0.8%) | |
| 72+ | 23 (0.7%) | 13 (2.4%) | 249 (4.4%) | 16 (3.8%) | 301 (3%) | |
| Unknown | 520 (15.8%) | 135 (24.7%) | 1597 (28.2%) | 330 (77.5%) | 2582 (26%) | |
| Median length of stay (days) (IQR) n=15 820 | 12 (3–33) | 11 (5–24) | 9 (5–18) | 10 (5–21) | 9 (4–21) | |
| Intubation location (direct admissions, n=13 824) | Prehospital | 765 (21.9%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 765 (5.5%) |
| ED | 2236 (63.9%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 2236 (16.2%) | |
| Critical care | 142 (4.1%) | 71 (9%) | 257 (2.8%) | 21 (4.6%) | 491 (3.6%) | |
| Ward | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 4 (0%) | 2 (0.4%) | 6 (0%) | |
| Not intubated | 354 (10.1%) | 719 (91%) | 8815 (97.1%) | 438 (95%) | 10 326 (74.7%) | |
ED, emergency department; GCS, Glasgow Coma Score; TBI, traumatic brain injury.