J Trauma
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Percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) is a common procedure in critically ill patients, but the correct timing is still controversial. This study was designed to establish whether an early timing in video-guided Ciaglia Blue Rhino PDT affects the duration of mechanical ventilation (MV) and the length of stay (LOS) in intensive care unit (ICU). Secondary clinical outcomes were the overall hospitalization duration and the mortality rate. ⋯ Video-guided Ciaglia Blue Rhino PDT is safe and easy to perform in ICU. No difference in overall hospital LOS, incidence of pneumonia, and mortality rate between the ET and LT groups was found. However, in both traumatized and nontraumatized patients, shortened duration of ICU LOS and MV in the ET group (
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Marginal posterior wall fractures are often fixed by lag screws, which may be technically difficult and risks articular penetration. Spring plates are used to avoid articular penetration. Both lag screws and spring plates are usually buttressed by reconstruction plates. ⋯ The marginal fracture is fixed using monocortical locking head screws. This technique has been performed on three patients; none had secondary displacement or nonunion. Fixing marginal posterior acetabular wall fractures using locking reconstruction plates and monocortical screws saves additional lag screws or spring plates without risking articular penetration.
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Multicenter Study
A critical assessment of the out-of-hospital trauma triage guidelines for physiologic abnormality.
It remains unclear whether the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACSCOT) "step 1" field physiologic criteria could be further restricted without substantially sacrificing sensitivity. We assessed whether more restrictive physiologic criteria would improve the specificity of this triage step without missing high-risk patients. ⋯ We were unable to omit or further restrict any ACSCOT step 1 physiologic measures in a decision rule practical for field use without missing high-risk trauma patients.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Treatment of impacted greenstick forearm fractures in children using bandage or cast therapy: a prospective randomized trial.
To evaluate the relative risks and advantages of using soft bandage therapy (BT) for impacted greenstick fractures of the distal forearm compared with cast therapy (CT). ⋯ BT for impacted greenstick fractures of the distal forearm is a safe technique, patients treated with bandage suffer greater pain at the start of the treatment, are able to return to normal activities sooner, and have less discomfort when compared with the standard CT.