The journal of trauma and acute care surgery
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J Trauma Acute Care Surg · Apr 2021
Caught in the crossfire: 37 Years of firearm violence afflicting America's youth.
Publicly available firearm data are difficult to access. Trauma registry data are excellent at documenting patterns of firearm-related injury. Law enforcement data excel at capturing national violence trends to include both circumstances and firearm involvement. The goal of this study was to use publicly available law enforcement data from all 50 states to better define patterns of firearm-related homicides in the young. ⋯ Epidemiological study, level III.
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J Trauma Acute Care Surg · Apr 2021
Personal protective equipment for reducing the risk of COVID-19 infection among health care workers involved in emergency trauma surgery during the pandemic: An umbrella review.
Health care facilities in low- and middle-income countries are inadequately resourced to adhere to current COVID-19 prevention recommendations. Recommendations for surgical emergency trauma care measures need to be adequately informed by available evidence and adapt to particular settings. To inform future recommendations, we set to summarize the effects of different personal protective equipment (PPE) on the risk of COVID-19 infection in health personnel caring for trauma surgery patients. ⋯ Review, level II.
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J Trauma Acute Care Surg · Mar 2021
Evaluation of the efficacy of commercial and noncommercial tourniquets for extremity hemorrhage control in a perfused cadaver model.
Tourniquets are a critical tool in the immediate response to life-threatening extremity hemorrhage; however, the optimal tourniquet type and effectiveness of noncommercial devices remain unclear. Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of five tourniquets in a perfused-cadaver model. ⋯ Four of five tourniquets evaluated, including both noncommercial devices, effectively achieved hemostasis. A standard leather belt was the fastest to place and was able to stop the bleeding. However, it required continuous pressure to maintain hemostasis. The improvised windlass was as effective as the commercial devices and was the easiest to apply. In an emergency setting where commercial devices are not available, improvised tourniquets may be an effective bridge to definitive care.
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J Trauma Acute Care Surg · Mar 2021
Nationwide cost-effectiveness analysis of surgical stabilization of rib fractures by flail chest status and age groups.
Surgical stabilization of rib fracture (SSRF) is increasingly used to manage patients with rib fractures. Benefits of performing SSRF appear variable, and the procedure is costly, necessitating cost-effectiveness analysis for distinct subgroups. We aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of SSRF versus nonoperative management among patients with rib fractures younger than 65 years versus 65 years or older, with versus without flail chest. We hypothesized that, compared with nonoperative management, SSRF is cost-effective only for patients with flail chest. ⋯ Economic/decision, level II.
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J Trauma Acute Care Surg · Mar 2021
Early dynamic orchestration of immunologic mediators identifies multiply injured patients who are tolerant or sensitive to hemorrhage.
Multiply injured patients (MIPs) are at risk of complications including infections, and acute and prolonged organ dysfunction. The immunologic response to injury has been shown to affect outcomes. Recent advances in computational capabilities have shown that early dynamic coordination of the immunologic response is associated with improved outcomes after trauma. We hypothesized that patients who were sensitive or tolerant of hemorrhage would demonstrate differences in dynamic immunologic orchestration within hours of injury. ⋯ Prospective clinical outcomes study, level III.