TITLE:
Predictors of Mortality in Severe Motorcycle Trauma in Intensive Care Units in the City of Kinshasa
AUTHORS:
Alex Kalonji, Joseph Nsiala, Wilfrid Mbombo, Leader Lawanga, Alphonse Mosolo, Jean Pierre Ilunga, Eric Amisi, Julie Pembe, Jean Jacques Kalongo, Patrick Mukuna, Glenny Ntsambi, Hugues Albini, Luc Mokassa, Médard Bula-Bula, Berthe Barhayiga
KEYWORDS:
Severe Trauma, Motorbike, Resuscitation, Kinshasa
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Emergency Medicine,
Vol.13 No.2,
June
6,
2025
ABSTRACT: Context: Severe motorbike trauma is a global public health problem, but has not yet been studied in Kinshasa. This study investigated the mortality of these patients in intensive care and the predictors of this mortality. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the intensive care units of six hospitals in the city of Kinshasa between January 1, 2021 and December 31, 2023. It involved adult patients with severe motorbike trauma whose socio-demographic, clinical and therapeutic data were analysed with SPSS 26.0 using Student’s t test, Person’s Chi2 or Fischer’s exact test and logistic regression for p Results: We included 238 patients, mean age 34.5 ± 12.3, predominantly male sex ratio 2.3, often married (50%). The victim was often the driver (75%), the mechanism of injury was motorcycle-vehicle collision (31%), motorcycle alone (31%) and motorcycle-motorcycle collision (25%). Admission was secondary in 60% of cases, and the injuries were cranial (40%), osteoarticular (25%), thoracic (20%) and abdominal (15%). The mean physiological variables on admission were: index severity scale (25), oxygen saturation (92%), systolic blood pressure (120 mmHg), heart rate (95) and respiratory rate (20 cycles per minute), Glasgow coma scale (9 ± 4). Treatment was surgical in 40% of cases. Mortality was 71.8%, with the following predictors: age greater than or equal to 60 years, systolic pressure less than 90mmHg or greater than 140 mmHg, injury severity scale greater than 16 to 24, Glasgow coma scale less than 9/15, and use of vasopressors. Conclusion: The mortality rate in this series was very high and was predicted by the victim’s advanced age, disturbances in physiological variables on admission and the use of vasopressors.