J Trauma
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The importance of outcome after major injury has continued to gain attention in light of the ongoing development of sophisticated trauma care systems in the United States. The Trauma Recovery Project (TRP) is a large prospective epidemiologic study designed to examine multiple outcomes after major trauma in adults aged 18 years and older, including quality of life, functional outcome, and psychologic sequelae such as depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Patient outcomes were assessed at discharge and at 6, 12, and 18 months after discharge. The specific objectives of the present report are to describe functional outcomes at the 12-month and 18-month follow-ups in the TRP population and to examine the association of putative risk factors with functional outcome. ⋯ This study demonstrates a prolonged and profound level of functional limitation after major trauma at 12-month and 18-month follow-up. This is the first report of long-term outcome based on the QWB Scale, a standardized quality-of-life measure, and provides new and provocative evidence that the magnitude of dysfunction after major injury has been underestimated. Postinjury depression, PTSD, serious extremity injury, and intensive care unit days are significantly associated with 12-month and 18-month QWB outcome.
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In Norway, most patients with severe head injuries are transported to, and operated in, the neurosurgical unit of the regional university hospital. However, some patients are still occasionally operated on in county central hospitals by orthopedic or general surgeons who do not have neurosurgical expertise. The aim was to analyze this surgical activity outside the neurosurgical units. ⋯ The present study indicates that, in Norway and countries with a similar hospital system, it must be difficult for general and orthopedic surgeons to achieve and maintain the skills required for emergency operations in patients with acute severe head injuries. Thus, it is probably to the patients' benefit to improve the general hospitals' competency and speed in the detection of candidates for surgical decompression, and stress the importance of these patients being transferred without unnecessary delay to a neurosurgical unit.
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Hemorrhagic shock is associated with lactic acidosis and increased plasma catecholamines. Skeletal muscle increases lactate production under aerobic conditions in response to epinephrine, and this effect is blocked by ouabain, a specific inhibitor of the cell membrane Na+/K+ pump. In this study, we tested whether adrenergic antagonists can block lactate production during shock. ⋯ Epinephrine release in response to hypotension is a primary stimulus for muscle lactate production in this model of hemorrhagic shock. Hypoxia alone does not explain the increased lactate levels because tissue perfusion was not altered by the adrenergic antagonists. These observations challenge the rationale behind lactate clearance as an end point for resuscitation after hemorrhagic shock.
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We conducted a prospective study in patients with multiple injuries investigating the time course of trauma-related changes of systemic immunologic defense mechanisms. ⋯ In patients who died of severe trauma and in whom the cause of death was multiple organ failure, a significantly lower production of antiendotoxin antibodies was measured shortly before death. An insufficient immune defense (dysergy) may be involved in the pathomechanisms leading to the development of organ dysfunction.
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The current literature defines the costs of trauma care in terms of hospital costs and charges. We sought to define the qualitative and quantitative labor costs of trauma care by measuring the various components of bedside care provided by surgeons at a community hospital. ⋯ A significant labor cost (TT) was required for the care of blunt trauma patients, and the majority of that cost was not spent in the operating room but involved the performance of cognitive services. Significant correlation existed between ISS and labor cost. The presence of ethanol intoxication significantly increased this commitment. These data might be of use in creating provider reimbursement schemes for trauma care. This methodology may have applications in the design of hospital systems for trauma care.