J Trauma
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Injury patterns and use of passenger restraints were studied in 91 children injured while riding in motor vehicles and admitted to The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, from June 1984 through December 1985. Of theses, 44 had used restraints and 38 had not. Nine were excluded from the study because restraint use could not be determined. ⋯ The overall Injury Severity Scores were not significantly different between the groups. Despite mandatory legislation, many children do not use restraints, and many who do still suffer severe or fatal injuries. We conclude that better compliance with existing passenger restraint laws and more effective restraint systems are needed.
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From 1965 to 1985, 76 patients were admitted to Sacré-Coeur Hospital, Montreal, with a diagnosis of penetrating chest trauma (PCT). The majority were under the age of 30 years and almost two thirds suffered gunshot wounds. Sixty-seven (88.1%) sustained a lateral or thoracic (T) injury and in nine (11.8%) the lesion was central or mediastinal (M). ⋯ Eight (11.9%) died in the thoracic group; all survived in the mediastinal group, for an overall mortality of 10.5%. Shock was associated with increased morbidity and mortality in the thoracic group (T) and infection was the most frequent complication for the entire group of patients under study. There has been a steady increase in the total number of PCT at our hospital during the last two decades suggesting an increase in crime and violence in our urban surroundings.
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One hundred patients who were in extremis and required Emergency Room Thoracotomy (ERT) after sustaining penetrating thoracic injuries were analyzed to compare the results of attempted stabilization in the field (n = 51) with those who had immediate transportation (n = 49). The clinical status of the patients in the field and in the E. R. was quantified by Trauma Score (TS) as well as Physiologic Index (PI), ranging in severity from 20 (clinically dead) to 5 (stable). ⋯ R. with signs of life in Group II compared to Group I. In Group II patients, survival was significantly improved overall (p = 0.01), in patients with signs of life on arrival at the hospital (p = 0.02) and in patients with isolated right ventricular wounds (p = 0.01) compared with Group I. The anatomic injury severity (PTI) as well as the mode of injury in the two groups was similar.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Hypothermia is a well recognized consequence of severe injury, even in temperate climates, and the physiologic consequences of hypothermia are known to be detrimental. To analyze the frequency and risk factors for hypothermia and its effect on patient outcome, we prospectively studied 94 intubated injured patients at a regional trauma center during a 16-month period. Esophageal temperature probes were placed in the field or ER and core temperatures (T) were followed for 24 hours or until rewarming. ⋯ However, no consistent correlation was found between alcohol intoxication and initial temperature or patient survival. Blood transfusion requirements paralleled injury severity and patients receiving greater than 10 unit transfusions had significantly lower core temperature (p less than 0.05). The average temperature change was positive in the ER, OR, and ICU with time to rewarming correlating with the aggressiveness of warming measures.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Of 210 multiple trauma patients admitted to our Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 12 (5%) presented with severe hypoxemic respiratory failure needing mechanical ventilation with an FIO2 of 1.0 because of severe intrapulmonary shunting (IS). Five (42%) of these patients survived and two (17%) died because of their underlying respiratory failure. We found a mean of three etiologic factors in each patient to account for their IS. ⋯ We concluded that severe hypoxemic respiratory failure in trauma patients is usually of mixed etiologies. It is a serious cause of morbidity in these patients; however, mortality is seldom directly related to this condition. Severe IS occurring shortly after trauma is of better prognosis than late IS.