Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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Many trauma patients currently transferred from rural and community hospitals (RCH) to Level I trauma centers (LITC) for trauma surgery evaluation may instead be appropriate for immediate discharge or admission to the local facility after evaluation by a trauma and acute care surgery (TACS) surgeon. Unnecessary use of resources occurs with current practice. We aimed to demonstrate the feasibility and acceptance of a teletrauma surgery consultation service between LITC and RCH. ⋯ Teletrauma surgery consultation involving 3 RCH within our system is feasible and acceptable. A total of 10 transfers and 19 emergency department visits were avoided. There was favorable acceptance by RCH providers and TACS surgeons.
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Liver transplant (LT) outcomes using machine perfusion (MP) in donation after brain death (DBD) is promising, but the LT outcomes of MP in donation after cardiac death (DCD) is limited in the US. The aim of this study was to compare LT outcomes of MP between DCD and DBD. ⋯ In transplant recipients who underwent LT using MP, posttransplant outcomes of overall and graft survival were similar among DCD and DBD cohorts.
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The impact of disparities at the intersection of multiple marginalized social identities is poorly understood in trauma. We sought to evaluate the joint effect of race, ethnicity, and sex on new functional limitations 6 to 12 months postinjury. ⋯ More than half of the race and sex disparity in functional limitations experienced by BHF is explained by the unique experience of being both minority and a woman. Intermediate modifiable factors contributing to this intersectional disparity must be identified.
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Although the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) was created to identify vulnerable populations after unexpected natural disasters, its ability to identify similar groups of patients undergoing unexpected emergency surgical procedures is unknown. We sought to examine the association between SVI and outcomes after emergency general surgery. ⋯ National efforts to support patients with high social vulnerability from natural disasters may be well aligned with efforts to identify communities that are particularly vulnerable to worse postoperative outcomes after emergency general surgery. Policies targeting structural barriers related to household composition and socioeconomic status may help alleviate these disparities.