Photo Credit: Picsfive

The following is a summary of “Hemodialysis Outcomes Score in Trauma (HOST): A Novel and Easy Model for Predicting Death in Patients Receiving Pre-Injury Hemodialysis,” published in the January 2025 issue of Surgery by Stettler et al.

This study aimed to develop a simple and practical clinical model, the Hemodialysis Outcomes Score in Trauma (HOST), to predict mortality in patients with trauma undergoing pre-injury hemodialysis. The analysis included patients with trauma on pre-injury hemodialysis admitted from July 2013 to December 2021. Data were retrospectively reviewed to identify independent predictors of mortality and to construct the HOST score. The study encompassed 663 patients, predominantly male (54.6%), with most injuries resulting from blunt trauma (97.4%) and a median Injury Severity Score of 21, indicating severe trauma. 

The 28-day mortality rate for patients on pre-injury hemodialysis was 6.8%, compared to 4.8% in patients with trauma not requiring pre-injury hemodialysis, a statistically significant difference (p=0.03). Through multivariate logistic regression analysis, the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), HR, and hematocrit levels emerged as significant predictors of 28-day mortality. The HOST model leverages these readily available clinical variables to estimate the likelihood of mortality, offering a practical tool for healthcare providers to assess risk and guide clinical decision-making in patients with trauma with a history of hemodialysis. The findings suggest that HOST could be an effective resource in improving patient outcomes by facilitating the early identification of high-risk individuals.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002961024007281