Eur J Trauma Emerg S
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Eur J Trauma Emerg S · Jun 2012
Limb amputation among patients with surgically treated popliteal arterial injury: analysis of 15 years of experience in an urban trauma center in Cali, Colombia.
Popliteal arterial injuries carry a high risk of amputation. The currently available literature from both civilian and military experiences is characterized by a wide variation of recommendations for surgical management. We questioned how these recommendations have been applied in our practice. Therefore, we aimed to identify predictors of amputation after popliteal arterial injury. ⋯ Emphasis on the early assessment and prompt identification of signs of ischemia after popliteal arterial injury continue to be the most important factor for reducing the risk of amputation, especially in blunt trauma. Vascular trauma teams must emphasize the need for the specialized management of popliteal veins. Clinical research is needed in order to identify means of decreasing arterial thrombosis after popliteal repair.
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Eur J Trauma Emerg S · Jun 2012
Splenic injuries: factors affecting the outcome of non-operative management.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of non-operative management (NOM) in patients with splenic injuries and to determine the predictive factors of NOM failure. ⋯ The grade of splenic injury is an important and significant independent predictor factor for the success of NOM. NOM is not recommended in patients with high-grade splenic injury.
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Eur J Trauma Emerg S · Jun 2012
The need for early angiography in patients with penetrating renal injuries.
Renal injuries occur in as many as 10% of penetrating abdominal wounds. Today, these wounds are often managed selectively, but there is little contemporary information on the natural history of kidney injuries after penetrating trauma. The purpose of this study was to examine the clinical outcomes of penetrating injuries to the kidney, and to determine if these patients may benefit from routine early angiography. ⋯ Nearly one in three patients with penetrating renal injuries are currently managed with serial observation, although one in five of these subjects ultimately require either angiographic or surgical treatment. We feel that routine use of early angiography may reduce the failure rate and improve outcomes for patients whose penetrating renal injuries are managed nonoperatively.
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Eur J Trauma Emerg S · Jun 2012
Patient influx and trauma types in a front-line hospital and a secondary referral hospital after the Wenchuan earthquake: a retrospectively comparative study.
To better understand the differences of patient influx and types of trauma between front-line and referral hospitals after the Wenchuan earthquake, so as to improve the efficiency of injury management. ⋯ There were dramatically different features in terms of quake-related patient influx and types of injury between the epicenter and less-affected hospitals.
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Medical technology has benefited many types of patients, but trauma care has arguably benefited more from technologic development than almost any other field. ⋯ The advances in trauma care are in great measure due to the integration of many different systems. Medical technology impacts care in the field at the site of the trauma, in the transport to trauma facilities, and care at the trauma center itself. Once at the hospital, technology has impacted care in the trauma bay, intensive care units, the operating room, and in postoperative and long-term care settings. The integration of advancements, however, needs to be examined in a careful systematic fashion to insure that patients will actually derive benefit.