Journal of trauma nursing : the official journal of the Society of Trauma Nurses
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Family presence during resuscitation (FPDR) is an option occurring in clinical practice. National clinical guidelines on providing the option of FPDR are available from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, American Heart Association, Emergency Nurses Association, and Society of Critical Care Medicine. The FPDR option currently remains controversial, underutilized, and not the usual practice with trauma patients. ⋯ Examples of real clinical challenges faced by the researchers are described throughout this article. Research challenges include design, sampling, inclusion/exclusion criteria, human subjects, and procedures. Recruitment of family members who participated in the FPDR option is a complex process, especially after admission to the critical care unit.
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Comparative Study
Chronic pain at 4 months in hospitalized trauma patients: incidence and life interference.
Many studies report on the incidence of chronic pain. However, deficiencies exist in prior research making it difficult to generalize results to trauma patients. ⋯ The incidence of chronic pain was present in 79.2% of trauma patients 4 months posttrauma and a strong positive correlation (n = 80, r = 0.79, P < 0.001) existed between chronic pain severity and the effect on life interference. Chronic pain is prevalent and causes significant life interference in traumatically injured patients.
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Comparative Study
Identifying the association among risk factors and mortality in trauma patients with intra-abdominal hypertension and abdominal compartment syndrome.
Intra-abdominal hypertension and abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) have become key players in increasing mortality among critically ill trauma patients. Many risk factors place the trauma patient at risk for developing ACS. Very few studies exist to establish a predictive relationship between any one risk factor and mortality among these patients. ⋯ Polytransfusion was strongly predicted among those with ACS for mortality (P < .001). Mortality was strongly associated with a reported history of diabetes (P < .05). The total amount of blood products showed a perfect correlation with death as well (r = 1.0, P < .001).
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Rib fractures pose significant risk to trauma patients. Effective pain control and the ability to take deep breaths are crucial for optimal recovery, and these are key elements in current clinical guidelines. ⋯ This article provides trauma nurses with the rationale for documenting and tracking incentive spirometry volumes to improve outcomes for patients with rib fractures. This promotes early detection of respiratory decline and early interventions to improve pain control and pulmonary function.
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Predominantly, males have a higher risk of injury mortality and morbidity than females. However, less is known about gender differences for injury and trauma outcome at a regional level. The aim of this study was to examine the epidemiologic profile and trauma outcomes of males and females at a level 1 trauma center to inform local injury prevention efforts. ⋯ There are distinct differences between the sexes regarding the mechanism and severity of injury and trauma outcomes. Local injury prevention initiatives should be targeted to address gender differences. Future social research should examine the interplay of the construction of masculinities with male injury.