Scand J Trauma Resus
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Scand J Trauma Resus · Jun 2024
Observational StudyPatients suffering traumatic brain injury: patient characteristics, prehospital triage, primary referral and mortality - A population-based follow-up study.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a potential high-risk condition, but appropriate care pathways, including prehospital triage and primary referral to a specialised neurosurgical centre, can improve neurological outcome and survival. The care pathway starts with layman triage, wherein the patient or bystander decides whether to contact a general practitioner (GP) or emergency services (1-1-2 call) as an entryway into the health care system. The GP or 112-health care professional then decides on the level of urgency and dispatches emergency medical services (EMS) when needed. Finally, a decision is made regarding referral of the TBI patient to a specialised neurotrauma centre or a local hospital. Recent studies have shown that injuries are generally more severe in patients entering the health care system through EMS (112-calls) than through GPs; however, no information exists on whether mortality and morbidity outcomes differ depending on the referral choice. The aim of this study was to examine triage pathways, including the method of entry into the health care system, as well as patient characteristics and place of primary referral, to determine the associated 30-day and 1-year mortality rates in TBI patients with confirmed intracranial lesions. ⋯ TBI patients mainly enter the health system by contact with GPs or other health care professionals. However, patients entering through 112-calls are more frequently triaged directly to specialised centres. We were unable to demonstrate any significant difference in the adjusted 30-day and 1-year mortality based on e primary referral to a specialised centre. The inability to demonstrate an effect on mortality based on primary referral to a specialised centre may reflect a lack of clinical data in the registries used. Considerable differences may exist in nondocumented baseline characteristics (i.e., GCS, blood pressure and injury severity) between the groups and may limit conclusions about differences in mortality. Further research providing high-quality evidence on the effect of primary referral is needed to secure early neurosurgical interventions in TBI patients.
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Scand J Trauma Resus · Jun 2024
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyThe effect of circle of willis anatomy and scanning practices on outcomes for blunt cerebrovascular injuries.
Limited research has explored the effect of Circle of Willis (CoW) anatomy among blunt cerebrovascular injuries (BCVI) on outcomes. It remains unclear if current BCVI screening and scanning practices are sufficient in identification of concomitant COW anomalies and how they affect outcomes. ⋯ Level III, Prognostic/Epidemiological.
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Scand J Trauma Resus · Jun 2024
112 What's your emergency? Overview of mental health and sleep disorders among emergency medical dispatchers in a French 112 call center.
Emergency medical dispatchers (EMD) experience significant occupational stress. Medical dispatching includes call-taking, triage, dispatch, and providing callers gesture guidance to the victims. Every decision has a major impact on the patient's outcome. Chronic exposure to stress and potentially traumatic situations, combined with night shifts can impact the stress response and physical health of staff. ⋯ The prevalence of depression, symptoms of PTSD, and sleep disorders in our sample of EMD is significant, and confirms findings reported in the literature. The EMD population may benefit from specific, multi-level interventions that target mindfulness, sleep, and ergonomics to improve their mental and physical health.