Study Reveals High Severity of Crevasse Fall Injuries and Hypothermia in Referred Trauma Patients
A recent study conducted at a Swiss Level I trauma center, spanning from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2023, analyzed 28 patients who sustained traumatic injuries from crevasse falls. The research highlights that these injuries are frequently multisystemic and often accompanied by significant physiological disturbances, necessitating complex multidisciplinary medical intervention. The median Injury Severity Score (ISS) for these patients was 17, with 57.1% meeting the definition of polytrauma (ISS ≥ 16). Surgical intervention was required for 71.4% of patients, and 39.3% needed admission to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Accidental hypothermia, defined as a body temperature of ≤35.0°C, was documented in 50% of the patients, either during prehospital care or upon emergency department admission. The study also noted frequent metabolic abnormalities, including elevated lactate levels in over 40% of patients and disturbances in potassium homeostasis. Two patients (7.1%) experienced in-hospital mortality.
