Patient Information
The GOAL-Trauma Study: Global Outcomes After Laparotomy for Trauma
Over five million people die from traumatic injuries worldwide every year. Many traumatic injuries, such as road-traffic accidents or stabbings, result in damage to the organs or blood vessels in the abdomen and these patients may require an emergency operation on their abdomen, called a trauma laparotomy, to save their life. A trauma laparotomy is a key operation in trauma care, as it can help to control bleeding or repair a hole in an organ, however patients are often very sick when undergoing this procedure and unfortunately survival rates following a trauma laparotomy remain low.
The majority of patients suffering traumatic injuries, including those to the abdomen, occur in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, the differences in the injuries, the hospital care they receive, and their overall outcomes when compared to high-income countries (HICs) patients are not known. There are a large number of trauma-related deaths occurring each year around the world, including among those who have undergone a trauma laparotomy, and if survival rates are to be improved, high-quality data is needed to help us better understand where the improvements in care are required.
Run and funded by the University of Cambridge, this study will collect data on all patients across all ages during a one month period who undergo a trauma laparotomy within the first 5 days of them presenting to hospital following injury. We will include patients from any hospital across the world that performs trauma surgery, collecting data before, during, and after the operation. We will follow these patients up for 30 days following their operation.
This is an observational study so we are only observing the patients’ care, not making any direct changes to their management. We will also be asking each centre to complete a written survey, to better understand some of the more complex areas experienced by patients in trauma care and the potential barriers they face in accessing appropriate healthcare.
