The Journal of surgical research
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Paraplegia remains a significant complication of thoracoabdominal aortic intervention. We previously reported that diazoxide (DZ), enhances the neuroprotective efficacy of erythropoietin (EPO). We hypothesized that DZ and EPO combined treatment attenuates spinal cord ischemic injury through upregulation of nerve growth factor (NGF). ⋯ DZ + EPO attenuates spinal cord ischemic injury through upregulation of NGF. Better understanding of this mechanism may serve to further prevent ischemic complications for aortic intervention.
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Failure to rescue (FTR) is considered as an index of quality of care provided by a hospital. However, the role of frailty in FTR remains unclear. We hypothesized that the FTR rate is higher for frail geriatric emergency general surgery (EGS) patients than nonfrail geriatric EGS patients. ⋯ Our study demonstrates that in geriatric EGS patients, a frail status independently contributes to FTR and increases the odds of FTR threefold compared with nonfrail status. Thus, it should be included in quality metrics for geriatric EGS patients.
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Tranexamic acid (TXA) has been shown to reduce mortality in the treatment of traumatic hemorrhage. This effect seems most profound when given early after injury. We hypothesized that extending a protocol for TXA administration into the prehospital aeromedical setting would improve outcomes while maintaining a similar safety profile to TXA dosed in the emergency department (ED). ⋯ Prehospital administration of TXA during aeromedical transport did not improve survival compared with ED administration. Treatment with TXA was associated with increased risk of venous thromboembolic events. Prehospital TXA protocols should be refined to identify patients with severe hemorrhagic shock or traumatic brain injury.
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The Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Study Group (CDHSG) registry is a multi-institutional tool to track outcomes of patients with CDH. The CDHSG asks surgeons to categorize diaphragmatic defect sizes as type A-D based on published guidelines. The reported size of the defect has been correlated with patient outcomes, but the reliability of this system has never been studied. Our goal was to evaluate the inter- and intra-rater reliability of the CDHSG grading system. ⋯ The demonstrated weak inter-rater reliability of the current CDHSG grading system shows the need for improvement in how the grading system is applied by surgeons when reporting CDH defect size.
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Traditionally, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and dirt bikes (DBs) have been used in rural locations for recreation and work. Recently, there has been an increase in the use of these vehicles in an urban environment. The aim of this study is to compare the injury patterns of patients involved in crashes while riding off-road vehicles in both urban (UORV) and rural (RORV) environment. ⋯ Our data suggest that UORV use was associated with decreased helmet use, higher mean Injury Severity Score, lower presenting Glasgow Coma Scale, an increased need for emergent trauma bay procedures, higher unhelmeted Abbreviated Injury Scale head scores, and higher rates of extremity injuries.