JAMA surgery最新文献

Importance: Wide variations exist in traumatic brain injury (TBI) management strategies and transfer guidelines across the country.

Objective: To assess the outcomes of patients with TBI transferred to the American College of Surgeons (ACS) level I (LI) or level II (LII) trauma centers (TCs) on a nationwide scale.

Design, setting, and participants: In this secondary analysis of the ACS Trauma Quality Improvement Program database (2017 to 2020), adult patients with isolated TBI (nonhead abbreviated injury scale = 0) with intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) who were transferred to LI/LII TCs we re included. Data were analyzed from January 1, 2017, through December 31, 2020.

Main outcomes and measures: Outcomes were rates of head computed tomography scans, neurosurgical interventions (cerebral monitors, craniotomy/craniectomy), hospital length of stay, and mortality. Descriptive statistics and hierarchical mixed-model regression analyses were performed.

Results: Of 117 651 patients with TBI with ICH managed at LI/LII TCs 53 108; (45.1%; 95% CI, 44.8%-45.4%) transferred from other centers were identified. The mean (SD) age was 61 (22) years and 30 692 were male (58%). The median (IQR) Glasgow Coma Scale score on arrival was 15 (14-15); 5272 patients had a Glasgow Coma Scale score of 8 or less on arrival at the receiving trauma center (10%). A total of 30 973 patients underwent head CT scans (58%) and 2144 underwent repeat head CT scans at the receiving TC (4%). There were 2124 patients who received cerebral monitors (4%), 6862 underwent craniotomy/craniectomy (13%), and 7487 received mechanical ventilation (14%). The median (IQR) hospital length of stay was 2 (1-5) days and the mortality rate was 6.5%. There were 9005 patients (17%) who were discharged within 24 hours and 19 421 (37%) who were discharged within 48 hours of admission without undergoing any neurosurgical intervention. Wide variations between and within trauma centers in terms of outcomes were observed in mixed-model analysis.

Conclusions: In this study, nearly half of the patients with TBI managed at LI/LII TCs were transferred from lower-level hospitals. Over one-third of these transferred patients were discharged within 48 hours without any interventions. These findings indicate the need for systemwide guidelines to improve health care resource use and guide triage of patients with TBI.

Importance: Current trauma-care protocols advocate early administration of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) in a ratio close to 1:1 with red blood cells (RBCs) to manage trauma-induced coagulopathy in patients with severe blunt trauma. However, the benefits of a higher FFP to RBC ratio have not yet been established.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of a high FFP to RBC transfusion ratio in the treatment of severe blunt trauma and explore the nonlinear relationship between the ratio of blood products used and patient outcomes.

Design, setting, and participants: This was a multicenter cohort study retrospectively analyzing data from the Japan Trauma Data Bank, including adult patients with severe blunt trauma without severe head injury (Injury Severity Score ≥16 and head Abbreviated Injury Scale <3) between 2019 and 2022.

Exposures: Patients were categorized into 2 groups based on the ratio of FFP to RBC: the high-FFP group (ratio >1) and the low-FFP group (ratio ≤1).

Main outcomes and measures: All-cause in-hospital mortality was the primary outcome. Additionally, the occurrence of transfusion-related adverse events was evaluated.

Results: Among the 1954 patients (median [IQR] age, 61 [41-77] years; 1243 male [63.6%]) analyzed, 976 (49.9%) had a high FFP to RBC ratio. Results from logistic regression, weighted by inverse probability treatment weighting, demonstrated an association between the group with a high-FFP ratio and lower in-hospital mortality (odds ratio, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.56-0.93) compared with a low-FFP ratio. Nonlinear trends were noted, suggesting a potential ceiling effect on transfusion benefits.

Conclusions and relevance: In this cohort study, a high FFP to RBC ratio was associated with favorable survival in patients with severe blunt trauma. These outcomes highlight the importance of revising the current transfusion protocols to incorporate a high FFP to RBC ratio, warranting further research on optimal patient treatment.