Validity of base excess as a prognostic factor of mortality in trauma patients

Background: Base excess is used to determine the magnitude of metabolic abnormality secondary to hemorrhage or direct organ damage of patients with polytrauma Methods: Retrospective cohort study in subjects older than 18 years, who were admitted to the intensive care unit for any type of trauma. The response to the change of the base excess at 6, 12 and 24 hours after the trauma was evaluated.Results: 261 subjects were included, 22.6% (59/261) died. Polytrauma occurred in 73.2% (191/261) and traffic accident was the most common mechanism of trauma in the study population with 75.9%. The change in BE between admission and the first 6 hours was 1.7 mEq/L (SD: 4.02) in the living population and 1.9 mEq/L (SD: 8.1) in the deceased (p