Journal of the American College of Surgeons
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Trauma triage criteria have been in place for many years and were updated in 1999 by the American College of Surgeons. We are unaware of any studies that have directly examined the ability of these criteria to reduce short-term mortality by transporting patients to trauma centers rather than to noncenters. ⋯ In New York, regional trauma centers exhibit considerably lower mortality than area trauma centers or noncenters for adult patients meeting specific physiologic triage criteria. It is important that population-based trauma systems with data from centers and noncenters be developed for the purpose of evaluating and redesigning trauma systems.
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The role of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in patients with an initial diagnosis of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) has not been well defined. The purpose of our study was to determine when the risk of finding invasive disease on final pathology in patients with an initial diagnosis of DCIS was sufficiently high to justify use of SLNB. ⋯ SLNB should not be performed routinely for all patients with an initial diagnosis of DCIS. Risks and benefits of SLNB should be discussed with patients who are younger, are diagnosed by core-needle biopsy, or have large or high-grade DCIS.
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Early colloid resuscitation in major burn patients has been stopped because of its deteriorating effect on thermal injury-induced vascular hyperpermeability. We hypothesized that inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) to stabilize endothelial permeability and to retain colloid solution in the vascular space will reverse its effect on lung damage. ⋯ Thermal injury induced lung damage. Restoration of extracellular fluid in early burn shock with albumin markedly augmented the lung neutrophil deposition, lung permeability increase, and blood peroxynitrite level. Inhibition of iNOS before albumin supplementation reversed its damaging effects on thermal injury-induced lung dysfunction to beneficial ones.
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Historical Article
Prehospital care from Napoleon to Mars: the surgeon's role.