C-reactive Protein Levels and Survival Outcomes in Traumatic Injuries: A Prospective Observational Study in Chennai, India

Background Traumatic injuries significantly affect the morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. This study investigated trauma severity, outcomes, and inflammatory responses at a tertiary care center in Chennai, India. Objective To assess the relationship between C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, trauma type, treatment, and survival outcomes, considering sex-related differences. Methods A prospective observational study of 701 patients with trauma was conducted at Sri Ramachandra Institute's Department of Emergency Medicine from July 2021 to January 2024. Demographics, CRP levels, trauma types, treatments, and outcomes were analyzed using chi-square tests and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results The cohort included 571 males (81.5%) and 130 females (18.5%) with a mean age of 43 ± 15 years for survivors and 43 ± 13 years for non-survivors. CRP levels were significantly associated with survival outcomes across the sexes (p = 0.000). In the 0–40 mg/L CRP range, non-survivors were 50.3% male and 16% were female, while survivors were 27.8% male and 5.9% were female (p < 0.001). ROC analysis showed an Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.708 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.670–0.746, p < 0.001) for predicting survival. Better survival rates were observed with combined head, chest, and abdominal trauma, with worse outcomes in Subarachnoid Hemorrhage, Subdural Hematoma, and bone fractures. No significant sex differences were observed between the conservative and surgical treatments (p = 0.394). Conclusion This study showed the prognostic value of CRP and the impact of trauma type on survival outcomes, emphasizing the importance of comprehensive trauma assessment. Further research is needed to improve trauma care protocols.