Surprise! Complication Rates in Trauma Patients Are Higher at the Start of the Academic Year

In academic medical centers, students, residents, and fellows assume higher levels of responsibility on July 1 every year. These authors retrospectively compared complication and mortality rates during a 5-year period between patients admitted in May and June versus those admitted in July and August at a single U.S. level I trauma center. Demographic and clinical-injury data were obtained from the trauma registry and complications data from morbidity and mortality reports. Complications were ascertained by observation and self-reporting by residents and trauma registry nurses and were confirmed by the attending trauma surgeon.

Analyses adjusted for sex, mechanism of injury, Injury Severity Score (≤15 vs. >15), systolic blood pressure (<90 vs…