Isolated Blunt Thoracic Trauma

This prospective observational cohort study will evaluate whether the Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) and Prognostic Nutritional Index (PNI) can predict short-term clinical outcomes in adults aged 65 years or older with isolated blunt thoracic trauma and more than three rib fractures. Participants will be enrolled in the Emergency Department of Ankara Etlik City Hospital. No experimental drug, device, or additional invasive procedure will be used. Routine clinical, laboratory, anthropometric, imaging, and follow-up data will be recorded. The study plans to include 294 participants. The primary outcome is a composite short-term poor clinical outcome, including in-hospital mortality, intensive care unit admission, invasive or non-invasive mechanical ventilation, pneumonia, atelectasis, tube thoracostomy, or hospital stay of 7 days or longer. The prognostic performances of GNRI and PNI will be compared. Secondary outcomes include the individual components of the composite outcome, new pneumothorax or hemothorax, hospital and intensive care unit length of stay, 30-day emergency department revisit, and 30-day mortality.