European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society
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Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg · Dec 2014
Rethinking bicycle helmets as a preventive tool: a 4-year review of bicycle injuries.
Traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of disability in bicycle riders. Preventive measures including bicycle helmet laws have been highlighted; however, its protective role has always been debated. The aim of this study was to determine the utility of bicycle helmets in prevention of intra-cranial hemorrhage. We hypothesized that bicycle helmets are protective and prevent the development of intra-cranial hemorrhage. ⋯ Bicycle helmets may have a protective effect against external head injury but its protective role for intra-cranial hemorrhage is questionable. Further studies assessing the protective role of helmets for intra-cranial hemorrhage are warranted.
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Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg · Dec 2014
Trauma risk perception related to alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine intake.
A high perception of risk may exert a preventive effect against the initiation of risky activities. The aims of the present study were (1) to analyze the risk perception for traumatic incidents according to drug intake (alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, no consumption) by trauma patients admitted to our hospital, and (2) to explore the influence of drugs on trauma recidivism. ⋯ The low perception of risk associated with alcohol, cannabis, or cocaine consumption by trauma patients under the influence of these substances on admission may be a predisposing factor for recidivism. Recommendations for both primary and secondary prevention are presented.
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Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg · Dec 2014
Autonomic dysreflexia: a possible trigger for the development of heterotopic ossifications after traumatic spinal cord injury? : A clinical longitudinal study.
The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the initial American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale (AIS) category and the conversion rate in acute traumatic tetraplegic patients on the development of heterotopic ossifications (HO). The second objective was to prove the hypothesis that tetraplegic patients with autonomic dysreflexia (AD) develop HO more often than patients without AD. ⋯ An initial AIS A that converts early into an incomplete tetraplegia constitutes a risk factor for the development of HO. Additionally, AD constitutes an important trigger in the development of HO in acute traumatic tetraplegic patients.
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The practice of medicine has experienced a revolution in the use of catheter-based or endovascular techniques to manage age-related vascular disease over the past 15 years. In many scenarios the less invasive, endovascular method is associated with reduced morbidity and mortality than the traditional open surgical approach. Although somewhat delayed, the use of endovascular approaches in the management of certain trauma scenarios has also increased dramatically. ⋯ The use of endovascular techniques in trauma can be considered in three broad categories: (1) large-vessel repair (e.g. covered stent repair), (2) mid- to small-vessel hemostasis (e.g. coils, plugs, and hemostatic agents), and (3) large-vessel balloon occlusion for resuscitation (e.g. resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta). While not exclusive, these categories provide a framework from which to consider establishing a trauma-specific endovascular inventory and performance of these techniques in the setting of severe injury. The aim of this review is to use this framework to provide a current appraisal of endovascular techniques to manage various forms: vascular injury, bleeding, and shock; including injury patterns in which an endovascular approach is established and scenarios in which it is nascent and evolving.
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Our purpose was to present our hospital experience with bullhorn injuries. ⋯ Bullhorn and bullfighting injuries frequently have a multimechanistic origin which goes beyond a pure penetrating trauma. Associated blunt and STI were common in our series, and the overall prognosis of patients admitted to hospital was good.