Clinical Research Directory

Evaluation of the Vittel Criteria for Pre-hospital Triage of Severe Trauma Patients in the French West Indies and in French Guiana

Severe trauma is a public health problem because it is the leading cause of death in young people and the third leading cause of death in France for all ages. These injuries will cause anatomical and functional after-effects that are sometimes permanent, and are therefore among the leading causes of acquired disability in France. The Vittel criteria constitute a decision-making algorithm of 24 criteria for triage of trauma patients. The presence of only one criterion out of the 24 must direct the patient to a trauma referral center. The existence of only one trauma referral center per territory questions the relevance of using the Vittel criteria in the French Antilles and Guiana. It therefore seems important that the relevance of the different Vittel criteria be reassessed in our territories, where the typology of patients and the urban network is different compared to that of mainland France. are a common cause of severe trauma, followed by assaults or fights, accidents at work, during leisure or at home, falls from a great height, and weapon-related injuries. Special and rapid care is then necessary. This is why trauma severity criteria and triage scores are used to target these serious patients and direct them to the appropriate healthcare facilities. The Vittel criteria constitute a decision-making algorithm of 24 criteria for triage of trauma patients. The presence of only one criterion out of the 24 must direct the patient to a trauma referral center. The existence of only one trauma referral center per territory questions the relevance of using the Vittel criteria in the French Antilles and Guiana. It therefore seems important that the relevance of the different Vittel criteria be reassessed in Martinique, Guadeloupe and french Guiana, french overseas territories, where the typology of patients and the urban network is different compared to that of mainland France.