The Journal of surgical research
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Multicenter Study
Detecting severe injuries of the upper body in multiple trauma patients.
The clavicle limits the upper thoracic cage and connects the body and upper extremities. The clavicle is easy to examine and is visible on standard emergency room radiographs. We hypothesized that clavicular fracture in polytrauma patients would indicate the presence of further injuries of the upper extremities, head, neck, and thorax. ⋯ A clinically relevant coincidence of clavicular fractures with injuries of the chest and upper extremity was found. As clavicular fractures can be diagnosed easily, it might also help to reduce the incidence of missed injuries of the chest and upper extremity. Therefore, special attention should be paid on thoracic as well as upper extremity injures during the second and tertiary surveys in case of clavicular fractures.
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Several scar-scoring scales exist to clinically monitor burn scar development and maturation. Although scoring scars through direct clinical examination is ideal, scars must sometimes be scored from photographs. No scar scale currently exists for the latter purpose. ⋯ The modified scar scale is a simple, reliable, and useful scale for evaluating photographs of burn patients.
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Evidence shows possible benefits from continuous drainage by lumbar drain after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Under the hypothesis that compartmentalization occurs between the ventricle and subarachnoid space after massive SAH, this study aimed to evaluate the biochemical differences between ventricular and intrathecal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and assess the role of CSF lactate in shunt-dependent hydrocephalus (SDHC) after aneurysmal SAH. ⋯ By compartmentalization of the subarachnoid space after SAH, intrathecal lactate level is a useful predictive parameter for long-term SDHC in patients with aneurysmal SAH patients.
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Use of the trauma and injury severity score (TRISS) for quality and outcomes assessment is challenged by the need for laborious collection of demographic and physiological data. We hypothesize that a novel stratification approach based on International Statistical Classification for Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) data that are readily available for trauma patients provides a more accurate and more easily obtainable alternative to TRISS with the potential for widespread use. ⋯ Use of ICD-9 codes for stratification provides a more accurate and more broadly applicable approach to quality and outcomes assessment in trauma patients than the labor-intensive gold standard of TRISS.
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Comparative Study
Fresh frozen plasma: red blood cells (1:2) coagulation effect is equivalent to 1:1 and whole blood.
Preemptive treatment of trauma-associated coagulopathy involves transfusion of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) at 1:1 ratio with red blood cells (RBCs), but the optimal ratio remains controversial. In combat theaters, fresh whole blood (FWB) is also an option. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of FFP:RBC ratios 1:1, 1:2, 1:3 and FWB on coagulation during resuscitation. ⋯ FFP:RBC in a 1:2 ratio optimally harnessed hemostatic resuscitation and prudent use of blood products compared with 1:1 and 1:3 ratios and to FWB transfusion.