J Trauma
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The aging of the population in the United States has led to an increase in geriatric trauma. This study aimed to examine the characteristics and outcomes of geriatric trauma patients in New York State. ⋯ Trauma is a serious and escalating problem for the elderly, and increasing age is a significant risk factor for patient mortality.
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Firearm violence is the second leading cause of injury-related death. This study examined the use of local trauma centers as lead organizations in their communities to address firearm injury. ⋯ Trauma centers, when provided resources and support, with the model described, can function as lead organizations in partnering with the community to acquire and use community-specific data for local firearm injury prevention.
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Endovascular stent grafting (EVSG) has emerged as a new treatment for aortic disease and has recently been applied to the treatment of acute blunt aortic injury (BAI). The purpose of this study was to determine the outcome of EVSG for patients with BAI at two tertiary (Level I) trauma centers. ⋯ Repair of BAI with EVSG can be performed safely in patients with BAI. Mortality, morbidity, and especially paraplegia are reduced. Further long-term studies are required to support the routine use of EVSG technology for BAI.
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Comparative Study
Differences in mortality predictions between Injury Severity Score triplets: a significant flaw.
This study investigated the validity of similar Injury Severity Scores (ISS) generated by different Abbreviated Injury Scale triplets. ⋯ The mortality rates are significantly different between pairs of triplets that generate the same ISS total. Caution must be used in the interpretation of outcomes from ISS values generated by different triplets.
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Comparative Study
Ballistic impact to the forehead, zygoma, and mandible: comparison of human and frangible dummy face biomechanics.
Currently, there is a greater use of nonlethal force in law enforcement and military operations. Because facial injuries have been observed, there is a need to understand the human response to ballistic impacts involving various regions of the face. This study aimed to establish blunt ballistic response corridors for high-speed, low-mass facial impacts to the forehead, zygoma, and mandible, and to determine how these responses compare with those of the frangible Hybrid III headform. Correlation of the human and dummy responses allows injury risk assessment for munitions used in the field. ⋯ Higher impact force can be tolerated on the forehead and mandible than on the zygoma. Normalized force-deflection and force-time corridors were established for the human response. The frangible Hybrid III face is an effective surrogate for assessing ballistic injury risks, but greater compliance would make it more biofidelic. Initial human tolerance levels of 6.0 kN for the forehead, 1.6 kN for the zygoma, and 1.9 kN for the mandible have been established for ballistic impacts to the face.