STUMBL Score as a Risk Stratification Tool for Management of Blunt Chest Trauma Patients

The STUMBL Score (STUdy of the Management of BLunt chest wall trauma) (also referred to as the Battle score) is a clinical prediction model that was developed and externally validated in 2014 in the UK . The purpose of the model is to assist in the clinical decision-making of patients with blunt chest wall trauma (excluding those with life-threatening injuries) in the Emergency Department (ED), through the calculation of a percentage risk of complications which in turn, provides a recommended discharge disposition. The STUMBL score includes five predictors: age at attendance, number of rib fractures, chronic lung disease, use of pre-injury anticoagulants and oxygen saturation (SpO2). This is the first score to introduce clinical variables, specifically chronic lung disease and anticoagulation, in contrast to other scores which have used anatomical variables and age alone. A huge benefit of the STUMBL score is that these variables are all routinely measured in the ED. Whilst other scores exist, the STUMBL Score is the only externally validated model with excellent predictive capabilities, that can be used for adult patients of all ages with blunt chest trauma presenting to the ED, not just a specific age group or severity of injury.

Collected data will be analyzed and tabulated by using appropriate statistical methods.

Statistical analysis will be performed by the SPSS statistical software computer program version 20 (Statistical Package for Social Science), Medcalc v.11.6.and Open Epi V.3.01.

Data will be described using mean ± standard deviation (SD) and frequencies according if they are quantitative or qualitative respectively.

Parametric tests will be used in the current study if data proved to be normally distributed.

For all statistical tests, a P value less than 0.05 will be taken to indicate a significant difference.