J Trauma
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Hemodynamic reactions in patients with hemorrhagic shock from blunt trauma after initial fluid therapy.
This study sought to define hemorrhagic shock from blood pressure and heart rate and then to provide a treatment policy based on response to initial fluid therapy. ⋯ Patients whose first SI was ≥ 0.8 and second SI ≥ 1.0 would be diagnosed as "nonresponders" by American College of Surgeons. Patients with first SI < 0.8 and base deficits ≥ -1.0 will not be candidates for the B group.
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Comparative Study
Hips can lie: impact of excluding isolated hip fractures on external benchmarking of trauma center performance.
Trauma centers (TCs) vary in the inclusion of patients with isolated hip fractures (IHFs) in their registries. This inconsistent case ascertainment may have significant implications on the assessment of TC performance and external benchmarking efforts. ⋯ Given the fact that IHFs in the elderly significantly influence risk-adjusted outcomes and are variably reported by TCs, these patients should be excluded from subsequent benchmarking efforts.
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Critical care-trained trauma surgeons are the ideal care provider for severely injured patients. This "captain of the ship" (COS) assumes complete responsibility of the patient, from initial resuscitation to eventual discharge. Unlike American College of Surgeons-verified Level I centers, many nonacademic, community hospital trauma centers use a more fragmented approach, with care in the intensive care unit (ICU) delegated to a committee of multiple specialists. We hypothesized that dedicated trauma intensivists as COS in a community hospital could improve ICU outcome. ⋯ A trauma intensivist-driven model can be successfully adopted in a nonacademic community trauma program, without the need for a residency program. A decentralized ICU care model produces inefficiencies, diminishes the role of the trauma service, and decreases the overall throughput of trauma patients.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Emergency medical services transport decisions in posttraumatic circulatory arrest: are national practices congruent?
To catalog the 9-1-1 emergency medical services (EMS) transport practices for posttraumatic circulatory arrest patients (PTCAPs) in the majority of the nation's largest municipalities and to compare those practices to guidelines recommended by the National Association of EMS Physicians (NAEMSP) and American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACSCOT). ⋯ Many of the nation's highest volume EMS systems transport certain PTCAPs emergently, contrary to NAEMSP-ACSCOT guidelines to terminate resuscitative efforts in such cases. Reasons for these discrepancies should be evaluated to help better delineate applicable consensus guidelines for large urban EMS agencies.
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Reported iatrogenic injury to the proximal femoral vascular structures is rare after retrograde femoral nailing. Previous cadaveric dissections have recommended placement of proximal interlocking screws above the level of the lesser trochanter. ⋯ No true safe zone corridor exists anteriorly for placement of AP interlocking screws in this region. Surgical technique modifications are suggested to minimize the potential risks of iatrogenic arterial injury during retrograde femoral nail AP proximal interlocking.