Background: Worldwide, injuries from trauma represent a major public health problem. The World Health Organization (WHO) has deemed this problem as one of the most important global priorities, calling 2011-2020 the 'Decade of Action for Road Safety'. Despite this, there is little empirical data in low and middle-income countries quantifying the burden of musculoskeletal injuries. Methods: INORMUS is a global, prospective, multi-center, observational cohort study. The primary objective of the study is to determine the mortality, re-operation and infection rates of musculoskeletal trauma patients within 30 days post-hospital admission. The INORMUS study seeks to enroll 40,000 patients from low-middle income countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Number of Participants: 40,000 Primary Research Objectives: To determine among adult individuals admitted to hospital with musculoskeletal trauma (e.g. fractures or dislocations): 1. The incidence of major complications (mortality, re-operation and infection) as a composite outcome and the components of the composite within 30 days post-hospital admission. 2. The factors (system and patient variables) associated with the composite of major complications (mortality, re-operation and infection) within 30 days post-hospital admission. Secondary Research Objective: To determine the rates of major complications within 30 days post-hospital admission by type of fracture treatment provided (e.g. splinting versus operative fixation) and admission to hospital time (e.g. \<72 hours or \> 72 hours). Diagnosis and Main Inclusion Criteria: This study has minimal exclusion criteria by design. All patients 18 years of age or older admitted to a recruiting hospital for treatment of an orthopaedic injury that occurred within 3 months will be eligible for participation. Patients who are diagnosed with an orthopaedic fracture, dislocation, or fracture dislocation of the appendicular skeleton or spine will be included. Study Outcomes: The primary outcome is a composite of mortality, mortality, re-operation and infection within 30 days from hospital admission for all research objectives. Duration of Patient Follow-Up: Study participants will be followed until 30 days post hospital admission.
Buenos Aires, Argentina