J Trauma
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Injuries sustained while skiing or snowboarding are commonly encountered in emergency departments near winter resorts. The purpose of this study is to identify and compare the types of injuries likely to be found in the skier or snowboarder patient. An additional goal of this study is to provide a description of the demographics and hospitalizations for these patients. ⋯ Patients injured while skiing or snowboarding are predominantly men, and participants in both sports are at risk for sustaining major injuries. The types of injuries differ and are dependent on the sport. An awareness of these differences will help skiers and snowboarders minimize their risk of injury by altering their riding strategies and by choosing appropriate protective equipment.
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Review Case Reports
Dyskalemia following head trauma: case report and review of the literature.
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Hyperglycemia is associated with increased mortality in the severely injured; intensive insulin protocols reduce mortality, improve wound healing, and decrease susceptibility to infection. High glucose variability creates challenges to glycemic control and may be a marker of poor outcome. We wondered whether glycemic variability alone might identify patients at higher risk of death. ⋯ High glucose variability (>50% of values outside 80-110 mg/dL) is associated with increased mortality in the severely burned. Individuals with frequent excursions outside the glucose target range of 80 mg/dL to 110 mg/dL are at greater risk of death.
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Mortality is worse after injuries occurring in rural areas. However, most trauma patients survive their injuries, and little is known about functional outcomes after nonfatal injuries that occur in rural areas compared with those that happen in the urban setting. We hypothesized that disability at hospital discharge is worse for those injured in nonurban areas. ⋯ Injuries in a nonurban location are associated with worse functional outcomes at hospital discharge. The magnitude of risk of a poor functional outcome is highest for patients who are injured in a rural location. These findings are important when considering allocation of trauma resources.