Comparison of glucose/potassium ratio and revised trauma score in predicting mortality in patients with isolated blunt head trauma

Isolated blunt head trauma (IBHT) is a common condition that can result in high mortality, requiring effective prognostic evaluations. Methods such as glucose-to-potassium ratio (GPR) and revised trauma score (RTS) have been developed to determine the mortality risk and optimize the treatment strategies. High GPR levels and low RTS levels are associated with increased mortality. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of GPR and RTS in predicting the prognosis in IBHT patients. A retrospective evaluation was conducted on demographic data, vital signs, laboratory values, and CT images of IBHT patients presenting to the emergency department (ED). GPR and RTS were calculated, and ED and in-hospital outcomes were assessed. 764 patients were included, with 70.9% male and a median age of 33. Median glucose and potassium levels were measured as 104 mg/dL and 4.2 mmol/L, respectively. CT imaging showed trauma-related pathology in 11.8% of patients, with isolated subarachnoid hemorrhage most common (30%). Ninety-one patients were hospitalized, 24 of whom underwent surgery (epidural hematoma was the most common pathology). 10 of the 91 hospitalized patients died. Both low RTS and high GPR were significantly associated with hospitalization (p < 0.001). RTS was significantly lower in patients with mortality (p < 0.001). No significant difference was found between patients' GPR with mortality or not (p = 0.261). RTS > 11 provided high sensitivity for survival (99.2%). GPR was not significantly associated with mortality in this cohort in IBHT patients, but RTS is effective in predicting mortality in these patients.