Abstract:Objective To explore the predictive value of serum developmental endothelial locus-1 (Del-1) combined with the New Injury Severity Score (NISS) for short-term prognosis in trauma patients.Methods A total of 204 trauma patients admitted to Qingdao Municipal Hospital from June 2021 to May 2024 were enrolled. Based on 28-day follow-up outcomes, patients were divided into a survival group (n =1 83) and a death group (n = 21). Clinical data, serum Del-1 levels, and NISS scores were compared between the two groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to evaluate the predictive value of serum Del-1 and NISS scores for short-term prognosis. Multivariate stepwise logistic regression was used to identify independent risk factors for prognosis.Results The death group had a higher proportion of patients aged ≥ 60 years, longer injury-to-admission time, higher rates of ventilator assistance, and greater trauma severity compared to the survival group. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores, neutrophil elastase (NE) levels, and D-dimer levels were significantly higher in the death group (all P < 0.05). Serum Del-1 levels were lower (P < 0.05) and NISS scores were higher (P <0.05) in the death group. The areas under the ROC curve (AUCs) for Del-1, NISS, and their combination were 0.859, 0.746, and 0.906, respectively, with specificities of 63.71%, 58.15%, and 85.02%, and sensitivities of 93.41%, 93.41%, and 87.11%. Multivariate analysis identified independent risk factors for mortality: prolonged injury-to-admission time [O^R = 1.958 (95% CI: 1.414, 2.711) ], ventilator assistance [O^R = 2.106 (95% CI: 1.474, 3.009) ], higher GCS score [O^R = 2.502 (95% CI: 1.651, 3.791) ], severe trauma [O^R = 2.385 (95% CI: 1.589, 3.578) ], reduced Del-1 [O^R = 0.299 (95% CI: 0.184, 0.484) ], and elevated NISS score [O^R = 2.866 (95% CI: 1.848, 4.446) ] (all P < 0.05).Conclusion Serum Del-1 and NISS scores are effective predictors of short-term prognosis in trauma patients, with enhanced predictive power when combined.