Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open最新文献

Background: Road traffic injuries (RTIs) are a leading cause of mortality in low and middle-income countries. The study aimed to assess the magnitude of RTIs, determine the length of stay (LoS) for RTI patients and identify factors associated with prolonged LoS.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at the Addis Ababa Burn, Emergency and Trauma Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Data were extracted from medical records for the period between 1 April 2021 and 30 March 2022, using a structured data collection form. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize patient and injury characteristics, and Poisson regression model with robust variance was applied to identify factors associated with prolonged LoS in the emergency department (ED).

Results: Over the 1 year, 2693 RTI patient records were reviewed, accounting for 38.5% (95% CI 37.4% to 39.7%) of all injury cases. Of these, 2661 patients' data were included in the analysis. The majority of patients were male (n=1932, 72.6%) and 1031 (38.7%) were aged 18-29 years. The most frequently affected body region was the head (n=966, 36.3%), and fracture was the most common injury (n=991, 37.2%). Overall, 59 (2.2%) patients died, and 780 (29.0%; 95% CI 27.6 to 31.0) experienced a LoS exceeding 24 hours. The identified factors associated with prolonged LoS included: residence outside Addis Ababa (adjusted prevalence ratio (APR)=1.41; 95% CI (1.24 to 1.60)), being in the age group of 18-29 years (APR=0.78; 95% CI (0.63 to 0.95), neck injuries (APR: 1.75; 95% CI 1.17 to 2.65), trunk injuries (APR: 1.43; 95% CI 1.09 to 1.89) and outcome of fractures (APR: 4.34; 95% CI 2.66 to 7.00); and contusions and crushing injuries (APR: 3.81; 95% CI 2.33 to 6.21).

Conclusions: The magnitude of RTI was substantially high compared with previous studies in Ethiopia. One-third of RTI patients' LoS in the ED exceeded the country's health system standard. The study highlights the need for enhanced road safety and healthcare resource allocation to manage RTIs effectively.

Level of evidence: III.

Introduction: Patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) on anticoagulation (AC) have increased mortality after trauma. Left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) procedures may reduce the need for AC in patients with AF. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the outcomes of trauma patients with AF on AC compared with patients not taking AC, and assess the frequency in which trauma patients are candidates for LAAC procedures.

Methods: A retrospective review of adult trauma patients after a fall was performed. AF patients on AC (+AC) were compared with patients not on AC (-AC). A CHA2DS2-VASc score is a stroke-risk stratification tool incorporating congestive heart failure, hypertension, age >75 (2 points), prior stroke (2 points), vascular disease, age 65-74, and female sex. This score was calculated for +AC patients to analyze their candidacy for LAAC.

Results: +AC patients (3452 total) were found to have increased red cell (7.3% vs 6.1%, p=0.02) and plasma (2.1% vs 1.2%, p<0.001) requirements. +AC patients had increased mortality (4.6% vs 3.5%, p=0.02). 54.8% of +AC patients had a CHA2DS2VASc score of >3 and met criteria for LAAC.

Conclusion: A substantial proportion of AF patients on AC meet existing criteria for LAAC. Further exploration of referral pathways may be warranted to analyze whether offering information on such procedures could reduce the risk of AC-related complications in high-risk trauma populations.

Evidence level: III.

Background: Unlike in Western countries, trauma center consolidation has not progressed in Japan. This raises the question of who are the appropriate providers for the decreased number of trauma surgeries. Emergency surgeons performing trauma surgeries lack sufficient cases for skill refinement, while on the other hand, surgeons performing elective surgeries face the dilemma of not being able to handle trauma across organs due to subspecialization. In this context, our institution has deliberately not pursued subspecialization and has been addressing various trauma surgery cases by regularly handling a wide range of general surgery fields.

Objective and methods: We examined the types, sites, target organs, and procedures of trauma surgeries performed under general anesthesia at our institution from April 2012 to December 2023. Additionally, we investigated the content and annual trends of non-trauma surgeries performed during the same period to assess the appropriateness of general surgeons handling trauma surgeries and to consider future sustainability.

Results: Trauma surgeries averaged around six cases per year, accounting for approximately 1% of the total surgeries performed. Most surgeries were related to abdominal organs, which could mostly be managed with techniques from the field of gastrointestinal surgery. Although there were fewer cases, it seemed possible to handle surgeries for neck, chest, and vascular trauma through routine clinical practice such as thyroid surgery, lung and mediastinal tumor surgeries, and peripheral vascular surgeries. Issues identified include a decrease in non-gastrointestinal cases as subspecialization progresses, and an increasing proportion of laparoscopic surgeries leading to a rise in inexperienced young surgeons in open surgery.

Conclusion: Handling trauma surgeries with fewer cases seemed possible by broadly addressing the scope of general surgery in routine clinical practice.

Background: Trauma audit filters, based on standards of care, serve as quality indicators and screening tools for patient cases to be assessed at interdisciplinary morbidity and mortality conferences. These conferences aim to identify potential opportunities for improvement in the care of trauma patients. This study aimed to determine the performance of individual audit filters in predicting opportunities for improvement and their relevance as screening tools for morbidity and mortality conferences.

Methods: We conducted a single-center registry-based retrospective cohort study based on registered data collected between 2013 and 2022 from the Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden. Performance was measured using sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and Matthews correlation coefficient for 10 audit filters used at the Karolinska University Hospital.

Results: Our analysis included 8309 patients. Audit filters demonstrated inconsistent agreement with opportunities for improvement with a Matthews correlation coefficient ranging from -0.088 (95% CI -0.129 to -0.044) for "Injury Severity Score >15 and no team activation" to 0.092 (95% CI 0.058 to 0.126) for "> 60 min until first major intervention." The Matthews correlation coefficient for all audit filters combined was 0.118 (95% CI 0.104 to 0.131).

Conclusion: No individual audit filter or combination thereof performed well in predicting opportunities for improvement, which suggests that the current method of screening for morbidity and mortality conferences should be revisited.

Level of evidence: Level III, prognostic/epidemiological.

Background: The concurrent use of antithrombotic agents and intoxicants in older trauma patients (≥65) poses a potential risk for adverse outcomes. As the prevalence of substance use among older adults rises, understanding the impact of these combined factors on trauma outcomes is crucial. This study evaluates the impact of combined intoxication and antithrombotic use on trauma outcomes in older adults.

Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of data from an Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma-sponsored multicenter prospective observational study involving 15 Level I and II trauma centers from February 2018 to June 2019. Included patients were on antithrombotic therapy and had blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and/or urine toxicology (UT) samples collected at trauma evaluation. Intoxication was defined as BAC >0.08 mg/dL or a positive UT. Patient demographics, injury characteristics, and outcomes were analyzed using linear and logistic regression models.

Results: Of 2793 trauma patients on antithrombotics, 862 met inclusion criteria, with 155 (18.0%) testing positive for intoxicants. Positive tests were associated with younger age (74 years vs 79 years, p<0.001), lower Charlson Comorbidity Index (4 vs 5, p<0.001), and similar Injury Severity Scores (6 vs 9, p=0.38). Patients with positive tests had more penetrating mechanisms of injury (11.0% vs 3.7%, p=0.01) and similar hospital stays (3 days vs 4 days, p=0.311). ICU admission rates were lower (32.9% vs 42.2%, p=0.041), with no difference in ICU length of stay or mortality. Higher ICU admissions (p=0.039) and increased ICU stays were seen in those on two substances (OR: 5.26, 95% CI 0.76 to 9.76, p=0.022).

Conclusions: Older trauma patients on antithrombotic therapy with concurrent intoxicant use did not exhibit worse clinical outcomes, despite higher rates of penetrating injuries and polysubstance use. These findings underscore the importance of tailored discharge planning and comprehensive care strategies for this vulnerable population.

Level of evidence: Level III, prognostic/epidemiological.

Gun violence is a health crisis that disparately affects non-Hispanic black males, where victims get stuck in a cycle of recurrent violence perpetuated by systemic inequities. Hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs) decrease violent reinjury by addressing social drivers/determinants of health. Many HVIPs solely focus on inpatient interventions. We designed a novel three-pronged continuum of care model: the Bedside, Clinic, Community (BCC) model as a longitudinal approach for equitable service delivery. Our HVIP, Interrupting Violence in Youth and Young Adults (IVYY), serves victims of community violence. The first pillar provides 'Bedside' care for inpatients; the second uses a multidisciplinary 'Clinic' to address medical and social concerns; and the third 'Community' pillar consists of partnerships with local grassroots organizations. Throughout the intervention, IVYY provides pathways for education, mental health, housing, employment, financial, and legal aid. In the first year of service, IVYY enrolled 299 patients who received 1168 inpatient visits. 26.1% were considered high risk and were seen in the IVYY clinic. Community partners provided innumerable resources to IVYY participants. By implementing the BCC model, we provide longitudinal care that addresses patient needs at every stage of their journey.