Association of body temperature with in-hospital mortality among paediatric trauma patients: an analysis of a nationwide observational trauma database in Japan.

OBJECTIVES To examine the association between body temperature (BT) on hospital arrival and in-hospital mortality among paediatric trauma patients. DESIGN A retrospective cohort study. SETTING Japan Trauma Data Bank (JTDB, which is a nationwide, prospective, observational trauma registry with data from 235 hospitals). PARTICIPANTS Paediatric trauma patients 16 years old and those who developed cardiac arrest before or on hospital arrival. PRIMARY OUTCOME The association between BT on hospital arrival and in-hospital mortality. We conducted multivariate logistic regression analyses to calculate the adjusted ORs, with their 95% CIs, of the association between BT and in-hospital mortality. RESULTS A total of 9012 patients were included (median age: 9 years (IQR, 6.0-13.0 years), mortality: 2.5% (mortality number was 226 in total 9012 patients)). In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, the corresponding adjusted ORs of BT <36.0°C and BT ≥37.0°C, relative to a BT of 36°C-36.9°C, for in-hospital mortality were 2.83 (95% CI: 1.85 to 4.33) and 0.93 (95% CI: 0.53 to 1.63), respectively. CONCLUSIONS In paediatric patients with hypothermia (BT <36.0°C) on hospital arrival, a clear association with in-hospital mortality was observed; no such association was observed between higher BT values (≥37.0°C) and outcomes.