Journal of emergencies, trauma, and shock
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J Emerg Trauma Shock · Apr 2013
Etiology of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest diagnosed via detailed examinations including perimortem computed tomography.
The spectrum of the etiology of out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest (OHCPA) has not been established. We have performed perimortem computed tomography (CT) during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. ⋯ Of the total OHCPA the incidences of NCE was 62.5%; the leading etiologies were AAD, airway obstruction, submersion, hypoxia and CVD. The rates of cases converted from cardiac etiology to NCE using perimortem CT were 14.6% of cases without an obvious NCE.
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J Emerg Trauma Shock · Apr 2013
Potential wrist ligament injury in rescuers performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Wrist pain in rescuers performing chest compressions as part of cardiopulmonary resuscitation has been reported anecdotally and recently in the literature. Studies have indicated that rescuers apply as much as 644 N of force to the victim's chest with each compression, while standards require one hundred compressions per minute. ⋯ Biomechanical research should be performed to further evaluate this possible correlation. Compensation for worker injury maybe involved.
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Survival following tracheoesophageal transection is uncommon. Establishing a secure airway has the highest priority in trauma management. Understanding the mechanism of the incident can be a useful adjunct in predicting the likelihood and severity of specific anatomical patterns of injuries. ⋯ A number of tissues were used to protect the anastomosis including pleural and sternocleidomastoid muscle flaps. There were no reported mortalities. Patients with combined tracheoesophageal injury after blunt neck trauma require acute management of airway along with concomitant occult injuries.
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Blood transfusion therapy (BTT), which represents transplantation of living cells, poses several risks. Although BTT is necessary for trauma victims with hemorrhagic shock, it may be futile for patients with blunt traumatic cardiopulmonary arrest (BT-CPA). ⋯ Our retrospective consecutive study shows the possibility that BTT before ROSC for BT-CPA and a treatment strategy that includes this treatment improves the success rate of ROSC, but not the survival rate. BTT is thought to be futile as a treatment for BT-CPA before ROSC.
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J Emerg Trauma Shock · Jan 2013
Pre-hospital transport times and survival for Hypotensive patients with penetrating thoracic trauma.
Achieving definitive care within the "Golden Hour" by minimizing response times is a consistent goal of regional trauma systems. This study hypothesizes that in urban Level I Trauma Centers, shorter pre-hospital times would predict outcomes in penetrating thoracic injuries. ⋯ In victims of penetrating thoracic trauma, more severely injured patients arrive at urban trauma centers sooner. Mortality is strongly predicted by injury severity, although shorter pre-hospital times are associated with improved survival. These results suggest that careful planning to optimize transport time-encompassing hospital capacity and existing resources, traffic patterns, and trauma incident densities may be beneficial in areas with a high burden of penetrating trauma.