J Trauma
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Performance of digital rectal examination (DRE) on all trauma patients during the secondary survey has been advocated by the Advanced Trauma Life Support course. However, there is no clear evidence of its efficacy as a diagnostic test for traumatic injury. The purpose of this study is to analyze the value of a policy mandating DRE on all trauma patients as part of the initial evaluation process and to discern whether it can routinely be omitted. ⋯ DRE is equivalent to OCI for confirming or excluding the presence of index injuries. When index injuries are demonstrated, OCI is more likely to be associated with their presence. DRE rarely provides additional accurate or useful information that changes management. Omission of DRE in virtually all trauma patients appears permissible, safe, and advantageous. Elimination of routine DRE from the secondary survey will presumably conserve time and resources, minimize unpleasant encounters, and protect patients and staff from the potential for further harm without any significant negative impact on care and outcome.
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Clinical abnormalities associated with drug therapy may lead to injury if untreated. Detection of preceding drug-related hazardous conditions (DRHCs) may provide the opportunity to prevent injury. This study evaluated the frequency of abnormal laboratory values attributed to the effect of drugs. ⋯ Monitoring laboratory values and assessing the association to medications may reduce the risk of injury consequent to adverse drug events.
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Enoxaparin is the only low molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) with documented efficacy for the prevention of venous thromboemobolism (VTE) following trauma, and it is currently considered the treatment of choice. Recent reports have suggested that the pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics of LMWH products may be altered in critically ill patients. ⋯ The standard dose of enoxaparin recommended for the prevention of VTE following multiple trauma provides unreliable and highly variable anti-Xa activity in critically ill trauma patients, and is strongly affected by the presence of significant peripheral edema.
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The National Emergency X-Radiography Utilization Study defined five criteria for obtaining cervical spine radiographic investigations in blunt trauma patients. Distracting injury was given as the indication for more than 30% of all x-ray studies ordered. The hypothesis of this study was that upper and lower torso injuries would have different effects on clinical cervical spine assessment. ⋯ The National Emergency X-Radiography Utilization Study definition of a distracting injury may be narrowed. Upper torso injuries may be sufficiently painful to distract from a reliable cervical spine examination. Patients may detect spine tenderness in the presence of isolated painful lower torso injuries. Patients with spine tenderness warrant imaging.
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Detection of small (10-20%) increases in lung water may be relevant to detect incipient pulmonary edema but no clinically usable method has demonstrated this capability to date. ⋯ The transpulmonary thermodilution technique accurately detects small increases in extravascular lung water and may permit accurate diagnosis of incipient pulmonary edema.