Scand J Surg
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Resuscitative thoracotomy is a dramatic operation performed in otherwise unsalvageable trauma patients. Analysis of its efficacy is based mostly on institutional series compiling the experience of multiple surgeons. This study aimed to report more consistent information by describing the resuscitative thoracotomy practice of a single surgeon and its evolution during more than two decades. ⋯ This single-surgeon series supports that resuscitative thoracotomy can be lifesaving in selected penetrating trauma patients in extremis. A switch to a selective evidence-based protocol increased overall and penetrating resuscitative thoracotomy survival and limited resuscitative thoracotomy performance to patients arriving with signs of life.
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Injury is the second leading cause of death worldwide, and as much as 40% of injury-related mortality is attributed to uncontrollable hemorrhage. This persists despite establishment of regionalized trauma systems and advances in the management of severely injured patients. Trauma-induced coagulopathy has been identified as the most common preventable cause of postinjury mortality. ⋯ Trauma-induced coagulopathy is a complex pathophysiological condition, of which some mechanisms have been characterized, but much remains to be understood in order to translate this knowledge into improved outcomes for the injured patient.
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Resuscitative thoracotomy is a heroic procedure that may offer the only survival hope for trauma patients in extremis. However, this operation has been the subject of much debate and its use, feasibility, outcomes, and cost are being continuously re-evaluated. ⋯ This review demonstrates that the indications for resuscitative thoracotomy become clearer and that new information is available regarding its use in the pre-hospital urban environment and military settings. Furthermore, it points to new strategies to supplement resuscitative thoracotomy including intra-aortic balloon occlusion and suspended animation. Finally, it sheds light on the long-term outcomes, organ donation, and cost and occupational exposure following resuscitative thoracotomy.
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The World Health Organization's surgical safety checklist is designed to improve adherence to operating room safety standards, and its use has been shown to reduce complications among surgical patients. The objective of our study was to assess the impact of the implementation of the checklist on safety-related issues in the operating room and on postoperative adverse events in neurosurgery. ⋯ Communication between the surgeon and the anesthesiologist was enhanced, and safety-related issues were better covered when the checklist was used. Unplanned readmissions fell from 25% to 10% after the checklist implementation (p = 0.02). Wound complications decreased from 19% to 8% (p = 0.04). The consistency of documentation of the diagnosis and the procedure improved. The use of the checklist improved safety-related performance and, contemporarily, reduced numbers of wound complications, and readmissions were observed.