Injury Mechanisms and Hospital Admission Rates Among Trauma Patients in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

A retrospective cohort study conducted at King Khalid University Hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, reveals that while falls account for nearly half of all emergency department trauma presentations, traffic-related incidents are associated with higher odds of hospital admission. The research evaluated emergency encounters between January 2019 and April 2025 to understand how different mechanisms of injury impact inpatient utilization.

Emergency Department Trauma Volume and Admission Rates in Riyadh

Out of 10,722 trauma-related records screened during the study period, researchers analyzed a final sample of 218 eligible emergency department encounters. The median patient age was 29.5 years, and 66.5% of the cohort were male. Falls emerged as the most frequently documented mechanism of injury, accounting for 49.1% of presentations. Traffic-related incidents represented 22.0% of the cases. Despite the high volume of fall-related visits, only 32 patients—representing 14.7% of the total cohort—required hospital admission following their initial emergency evaluation.

Traffic Incidents Drive Inpatient Hospital Utilization

Statistical analysis demonstrated that traffic-related injuries carried significantly higher odds of leading to a hospital admission after adjusting for age, sex, and comorbidities, yielding an adjusted odds ratio of 3.41. Demographic factors such as age, sex, and pre-existing medical conditions showed no statistically significant association with overall admission rates in this patient group. Among the 30 admitted patients included in the length-of-stay analysis, the median hospitalization lasted 5 days. Poisoning cases recorded a longer median hospital stay of 15 days compared to 4 days for other mechanisms, though that observation was based on only three admitted patients.

Public Health Implications for Regional Trauma Resources

The findings draw a sharp line between the injuries that generate high emergency department foot traffic and those that consume inpatient resources. Public health data from Saudi Arabia previously identified trauma as a leading cause of death and disability, accounting for 14.4% of all fatalities in 2016. Because traffic crashes are associated with higher odds of hospital admission, the study authors emphasize that emergency department preparedness strategies must separate injury frequency from actual inpatient bed utilization when allocating hospital resources.