Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30489507›Full record

ArticleThe journal of trauma and acute care surgery2019

Is it time to measure complications from the National Trauma Data Bank? A longitudinal analysis of recent reporting trends.

Anamaria J Robles, Amanda S Conroy, Mitchell J Cohen, Rachael A Callcut

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The journal of trauma and acute care surgery, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Use of the National Trauma Data Bank in orthopaedic trauma research: a bibliometric analysis.OTA international : the open access journal of orthopaedic trauma · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Anamaria J RoblesFrom the Department of Surgery (A.J.R., A.S.C., R.A.C.), San Francisco General Hospital; University of California (A.J.R., A.S.C., R.A.C.), San Francisco, California; Department of Surgery (M.J.C.), Denver Health Medical Center; and University of Colorado (M.J.C.), Denver, Colorado.
Amanda S Conroy
Mitchell J Cohen
Rachael A Callcut

Funding

Advancing Outcome Metrics in Trauma Surgery Through Utilization of Big DataK01ES026834 · NIEHS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · PI CALLCUT, RACHAEL A · 2015 to 2018
$889k
NIEHS NIH HHS K01 ES026834
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPayers have approached select complications as never events, yet there is rationale that achieving a zero incidence of these events is impractical. Prior 2005 National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB) analysis showed high rates (37%) of centers reporting no complications data making national estimates for determining standardized complication rates difficult to ascertain.

methodsThe 2008-2012 NTDB National Sample Program nationally weighted files were used to calculate yearly national estimates. Rates were compared in all centers and those reporting complications data. Hospital characteristics were compared using Student t test. In 2011, an other complication category was introduced; overall rates were calculated with and without this category. Yearly estimates were reported for patients receiving care within centers reporting complications data.

resultsFrom 2008-2012 NTDB, there were raw data on 3,657,884 patients. A total of 594,894 patients (16.3%) experienced one or more complications (82.7% one complication; 17.3% two or more complications). Excluding the other complication category, the overall weighted rate was 8.4% to 9.2%. Pneumonia was the most common complication (2.7-3.0%), occurring at twice the 2005 rate. The number of centers reporting no complications data dropped to 8.1% in 2011 (2008, 14.5%; 2009, 18.2%; 2010, 15.9%; 2012, 8.9%). By 2012, nearly all level I centers reported complications, whereas 46.4% of level IVs reported none (I 0.5%, II 2.7%, III 8.5%, p = 0.04). Data were reported the least frequently in nonteaching hospitals (15.8%, p = 0.007), those in the South (19.6%, p = 0.007), and those with less than 200 beds (23.6%, p = 0.005).

conclusionOverall rates of complications from 2008 to 2012 were nearly twofold higher than 2005 data. Reporting has increased, and NTDB may provide a valuable platform for establishing rational and achievable measures for specific complications. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic and epidemiological, level IV.

Indexed as

AdolescentAdultAgedAged, 80 and overDatabases, FactualFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRisk ManagementTrauma CentersUnited StatesWounds and InjuriesYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID30489507
PMCPMC7269193

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.