J Trauma
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Comparative Study
A comparison of prehospital and hospital data in trauma patients.
The use of prehospital data as an indicator for trauma team activation has been established. The relationship between field (Fd) and emergency department (ED) systolic blood pressure (SBP), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score, and airway control as it relates to outcomes is unclear. We hypothesized that ED and Fd physiologic parameters are equally valid predictors of outcomes. In addition, we hypothesized that early field intubation will improve survival compared with later ED intubation. ⋯ Early field intubation was associated with a decreased risk of fatal outcome compared with ED intubation. ED-GCS score was not significantly different from Fd-GCS score, and either one can be used to predict fatal outcome. However, ED-SBP was different from Fd-SBP in 40% of the patients, with the majority of cases having higher ED-SBP. Although ED-SBP was a better predictor of outcome, the best model is achieved when both ED and field SBP are used.
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Comparative Study
Sixty-five clinical cases of free tissue transfer using long arteriovenous fistulas or vein grafts.
Traumatic limb injuries requiring free tissue transfer for coverage, often lack healthy recipient vessels adjacent to the defect. In these patients, vein grafts are required to bridge the gap of either the artery, vein or both. For the latter situation, a temporary arteriovenous fistula (AVF) can be created and allowed to mature and then divided and used as recipient artery and veins for the free flap. ⋯ Although a longer graft length seemed to be associated with a higher re-exploration rate, there was no statistical significance. One-stage AVFs can be used with good results, however, two-stage AVFs are associated with a high graft occlusion rate, wound failure rate and limb amputation rate. In all cases, a large caliber graft such as the great saphenous vein provided a large (relatively low resistance) conduit for bridging the defect.
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Preresuscitation Glasgow Coma Scale (P-GCS) score is frequently obtained in injured patients and incorporated into mortality prediction. Data on functional outcome in head injury is sparse. A large group of patients with head injuries was analyzed to assess relationships between P-GCS score, mortality, and functional outcome as measured by the Functional Independence Measure (FIM). ⋯ Although the P-GCS score is related to functional outcome as measured by the FIM score and mortality in head injury, current mortality prediction models may need to be modified to account for the nonlinear relationship between P-GCS score and mortality. The P-GCS score is not a good clinical tool for outcome prediction in individual head-injured patients, given the variability in mortality rates and functional outcomes at all scores.
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The use of quantitative cultures of the bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) effluent to distinguish between posttraumatic inflammatory response and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is becoming more common. However, the diagnostic threshold of either 10 or 10 colonies/mL remains debatable. Because mortality from VAP is related to treatment delay, some have chosen a lower diagnostic threshold (>10 colonies/mL). This may result in unnecessary antibiotic use with its sequelae: increased resistant organisms, antibiotic-related complications, and increased costs. The purpose of this study is to determine the optimal diagnostic threshold for VAP diagnosis using quantitative cultures of the BAL effluent. ⋯ The VAP diagnostic threshold for quantitative BAL in trauma patients should be >10 colonies/mL. One may consider a threshold of >10 colonies/mL in severely injured patients with Pseudomonas or Acinetobacter species.
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Early airway management is advocated for patients with penetrating neck trauma who have any signs of airway compromise. This study examined the clinical course of patients with penetrating neck trauma who received prehospital blind nasotracheal intubation, including successful intubation rates, and outcomes. ⋯ The patients managed with blind nasotracheal intubation did not experience complications related to the choice of airway management. Despite prior warnings in the literature, the results of this study suggest that blind nasotracheal intubation may well be a valuable tool for the management of patients with penetrating neck trauma.