European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society
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Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg · Dec 2020
Do elderly trauma patients receive the required treatment? Epidemiology and outcome of geriatric trauma patients treated at different levels of trauma care.
In an ageing society, geriatric trauma displays an increasing challenge in trauma care. Due to comorbidities and reduced physiologic reserves, these patients might benefit from an immediate specialised care. The current study aims to clarify the prevalence and outcome of geriatric trauma depending on the level of the primary trauma centre. ⋯ Patients above the age of 65 years represent a second group with high risk for traumatic injuries besides younger adults. Despite low-energy trauma mechanisms, these patients are prone to suffer from severe injuries, which require specialised care. Current admission practice appears adequate, as pre-clinical available symptoms did not correlate with injuries that demanded an early inter-hospital transfer. Specialised geriatric triage scores might further improve admission practice.
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Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg · Dec 2020
Is chest imaging relevant in diagnosing acute respiratory distress syndrome in polytrauma patients? A population-based cohort study.
The definition of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has often been modified with Berlin criteria being the most recent. ARDS is divided into three categories based on the degree of hypoxemia using PaO2/FiO2 ratio. Radiological findings are standardized with bilateral diffuse pulmonary infiltrates present on chest imaging. This study investigated whether chest imaging is relevant in diagnosing ARDS in polytrauma patients. ⋯ Many patients developed AHRF and only a few ARDS. Patients with similar hypoxemia without bilateral diffuse pulmonary infiltrates had comparable outcome as ARDS patients. Chest imaging did not influence the outcome. Large-scale multicenter validation of ARDS criteria is warranted to investigate whether diffuse bilateral pulmonary infiltrates on chest imaging could be omitted as a mandatory part of the definition of ARDS in polytrauma patients.
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Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg · Dec 2020
Observational StudyUsefulness of Gram stain examination of peritoneal fluid in postoperative peritonitis to guide empirical antibiotherapy.
In postoperative peritonitis, Gram stain examination (GSE) of peritoneal fluid has been proposed as a guide for the prescription of glycopeptides and antifungal therapy in empirical antibiotherapy. No data support this approach for Gram-positive cocci. We aimed to evaluate the performance of GSE in predicting the results of the culture of peritoneal fluid. ⋯ GSE shows poor performance to predict the results of culture of peritoneal fluid in postoperative peritonitis. Avoiding covering resistant GPC cannot be based on the result of GSE.
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Obesity is a risk factor for the development of acute kidney injury but its effect on the need for dialysis in trauma has not been elucidated. Additionally, the contribution that obesity has towards risk of mortality in trauma is unclear. We hypothesized that patients with a higher body mass index (BMI) will have a higher risk for need of dialysis and mortality after trauma. ⋯ Obesity was associated with an increased risk for dialysis after trauma. Mortality risk was reduced in obese, similar in severely obese, and increased in morbidly obese trauma patients suggesting an inflection threshold BMI for risk of mortality in trauma.