The Journal of surgical research
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No treatment is available to reverse injury associated with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Progenitor cell therapies show promise in both preclinical and clinical studies. We conducted a meta-analysis of preclinical studies using progenitor cells to treat TBI. ⋯ Our meta-analysis study reveals an overall positive effect of progenitor cell therapies on LV and NSS with a trend toward improved motor function and spatial learning in different TBI animal models.
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Poor communication causes fragmented care. Studies of transitions of care within a hospital and on discharge suggest significant communication deficits. Communication during transfers between hospitals has not been well studied. We assessed the written communication provided during interhospital transfers of emergency general surgery patients. We hypothesized that patients are transferred with incomplete documentation from referring facilities. ⋯ This study documents that information important to patient care is often missing in the written communication provided during interhospital transfers. This gap affords a foundation for standardizing provider communication during interhospital transfers.
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Prolonged emergency department (ED) stays correlate with negative outcomes in critically ill nontrauma patients. This study sought to determine the effect of ED length of stay (LOS) on trauma patients. ⋯ In a mature trauma center with standardized activation protocols and focused resource allocation in the ED trauma bay, trauma activation and subsequent management appear to mitigate the negative effects of prolonged ED LOS seen in other critically ill populations.
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Patient satisfaction surveys are an important tool in measuring physician performance. We hypothesized that nonmodifiable factors would be associated with surgical outpatient satisfaction scores. ⋯ Using satisfaction scores to evaluate providers should take into account nonmodifiable factors of the underlying patient population, the specialty of the provider, and the practice setting of the visit.
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Epidemiologic studies have shown that undocumented immigrants (UIs) display characteristics of having a low socioeconomic status and are primarily of ethnic minorities. These social determinants of health are known to be associated with diminished health care access and poor clinical outcomes. We therefore investigated the impact of documentation status on the clinical outcomes of patients with traumatic injuries. ⋯ There was no association between in-hospital mortality and documentation status; however, UIs had a longer average LOS and were less likely to be placed into rehab following their hospitalization. A longer LOS and a decreased likelihood for rehabilitation placement suggest that disparities in trauma care exist for UIs, putting them at risk for worse clinical and functional outcomes.