Trauma team activation criteria in managing trauma patients at an emergency room in Thailand

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Wuthisuthimethawee
CJEM ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (S1) ◽  
pp. S58-S59
Author(s):  
R. Connolly ◽  
M. Woo ◽  
J. Lampron ◽  
J.J. Perry

Introduction: Trauma code activation is initiated by emergency physicians using physiologic and anatomic criteria, mechanism of injury and patient demographic factors in conjunction with data obtained from emergency medical service personnel. This enables rapid definitive treatment of trauma patients. Our objective was to identify factors associated with delayed trauma team activation. Methods: We conducted a health records review to supplement data from a regional trauma center database. We assessed consecutive cases from the trauma database from January 2008 to March 2014 including all cases in which a trauma code was activated by an emergency physician. We defined a delay in trauma code activation as a time greater than 30 minutes from time to arrival to trauma team activation. Data were collected in Microsoft Excel and analyzed in Statistical Analysis System (SAS). We conducted univariate analysis for factors potentially influencing trauma team activation and we subsequently used multiple logistic regression analysis models for delayed activation in relation to mortality, length of stay and time to operative management. Results: 1020 patients were screened from which 174 patients were excluded, as they were seen directly by the trauma team. 846 patients were included for our analysis. 4.1% (35/846) of trauma codes were activated after 30 minutes. Mean age was 40.8 years in the early group versus 49.2 in the delayed group p=0.01. There was no significant difference in type of injury, injury severity or time from injury between the two groups. Patients were over 70 years in 7.6% in the early activation group vs 17.1% in the delayed group (p=0.04). 77.7% of the early group were male vs 71.4% in the delayed group (p=0.39). There was no significant difference in mortality (15.2% vs 11.4% p=0.10), median length of stay (10 days in both groups p=0.94) or median time to operative management (331 minutes vs 277 minutes p=0.52). Conclusion: Delayed activation is linked with increasing age with no clear link with increased mortality. Given the severe injuries in the delayed cohort which required activation of the trauma team further emphasis on the older trauma patient and interventions to recognize this vulnerable population should be made. When assessing elderly trauma patients emergency physicians should have a low threshold to activate trauma teams.


2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. e000282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amund Hovengen Ringen ◽  
Iver Anders Gaski ◽  
Hege Rustad ◽  
Nils Oddvar Skaga ◽  
Christine Gaarder ◽  
...  

BackgroundThe elderly trauma patient has increased mortality compared with younger patients. During the last 15 years, initial treatment of severely injured patients at Oslo University Hospital Ulleval (OUHU) has changed resulting in overall improved outcomes. Whether this holds true for the elderly trauma population needs exploration and was the aim of the present study.MethodsWe performed a retrospective study of 2628 trauma patients 61 years or older admitted to OUHU during the 12-year period, 2002–2013. The population was stratified based on age (61–70 years, 71–80 years, 81 years and older) and divided into time periods: 2002–2009 (P1) and 2010–2013 (P2). Multiple logistic regression models were constructed to identify clinically relevant core variables correlated with mortality and trauma team activation rate.ResultsCrude mortality decreased from 19% in P1 to 13% in P2 (p<0.01) with an OR of 0.77 (95 %CI 0.65 to 0.91) when admitted in P2. Trauma team activation rates increased from 53% in P1 to 72% in P2 (p<0.01) with an OR of 2.16 (95% CI 1.93 to 2.41) for being met by a trauma team in P2. Mortality increased from 10% in the age group 61–70 years to 26% in the group above 80 years. Trauma team activation rates decreased from 71% in the age group 61–70 years to 50% in the age group older than 80 years. Median ISS were 17 in all three age groups and in both time periods.DiscussionDevelopment of a multidisciplinary dedicated trauma service is associated with increased trauma team activation rate as well as survival in geriatric trauma patients. As expected, mortality increased with age, although inversely related to the likelihood of being met by a trauma team. Trauma team activation should be considered for all trauma patients older than 70 years.Level of evidenceLevel IV.


BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. e024190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mete Erdogan ◽  
Nelofar Kureshi ◽  
Saleema A Karim ◽  
John M Tallon ◽  
Mark Asbridge ◽  
...  

ObjectivesAlthough alcohol screening is an essential requirement of level I trauma centre accreditation, actual rates of compliance with mandatory alcohol testing in trauma patients are seldom reported. Our objective was to determine the prevalence of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) testing in patients requiring trauma team activation (TTA) for whom blood alcohol testing was mandatory, and to elucidate patient-level, injury-level and system-level factors associated with BAC testing.DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingTertiary trauma centre in Halifax, Canada.Participants2306 trauma patients who required activation of the trauma team.Primary outcome measureThe primary outcome was the rate of BAC testing among TTA patients. Trends in BAC testing over time and across patient and injury characteristics were described. Multivariable logistic regression examined patient-level, injury-level and system-level factors associated with testing.ResultsOverall, 61% of TTA patients received BAC testing despite existence of a mandatory testing protocol. Rates of BAC testing rose steadily over the study period from 33% in 2000 to 85% in 2010. Testing varied considerably across patient-level, injury-level and system-level characteristics. Key factors associated with testing were male gender, younger age, lower Injury Severity Score, scene Glasgow Coma Scale score <9, direct transport to hospital and presentation between midnight and 09:00 hours, or on the weekend.ConclusionsAt this tertiary trauma centre with a policy of empirical alcohol testing for TTA patients, BAC testing rates varied significantly over the 11-year study period and distinct factors were associated with alcohol testing in TTA patients.


CJEM ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 617-623 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lorri Beatty ◽  
Elizabeth Furey ◽  
Cupido Daniels ◽  
Avery Berman ◽  
John M. Tallon

AbstractObjectivesThe initial management of a trauma patient often involves imaging in the form of x-rays, computed tomography (CT) and other radiographic studies, which expose the patient to ionizing radiation, an entity known to cause tissue injury and malignancy at high doses. The purpose of this study was to use a calculation-based method to determine the radiation exposure of trauma patients undergoing trauma team activation in a Canadian tertiary-care trauma centre.MethodsA retrospective chart review was conducted using the Nova Scotia Provincial Trauma Registry. All patients age 16 years old and over who underwent trauma team activation between March 1, 2008 and March 1, 2009 were included. Patients who died prior to imaging tests were excluded. Dose reports for each CT were used to calculate a whole-body radiation dose for each patient.ResultsThere were 230 trauma team activations during the study period, of which 206 had CT imaging. Data were available for 162 patients. The mean whole-body radiation exposure for all patients was 24.4±10.3 mSv, which may correlate to one additional cancer death for every 100 trauma patients scanned.ConclusionsTrauma patients are exposed to significant amounts of radiation during their initial trauma work-up, which may increase the risk of fatal cancer. Clinicians who care for these patients must be aware of the radiation exposure, and take measures to limit radiation exposure of trauma patients.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Bieler ◽  
Heiko Trentzsch ◽  
Axel Franke ◽  
Markus Baacke ◽  
Rolf Lefering ◽  
...  

Abstract IntroductionIn order to improve the quality of criteria for trauma-team-activation it is necessary to identify patients who benefited from the treatment by a trauma team. Therefore, we evaluated a post hoc criteria catalogue for trauma-team-activation which was developed in a consensus process by an expert group and published recently. The objective was to examine whether the catalogue can identify patients that died after admission to hospital and therefore can benefit of a specialized trauma team mostly.Materials and MethodThe catalogue was applied to the data of 75,613 patients from the TraumaRegister DGU® between the 01/2007 and 12/2016 with a maximum Abbreviated Injury Score (AIS) severity ≥ 2. The endpoint was hospital mortality, which was defined as death before discharge from acute care.ResultsThe TraumaRegister DGU® dataset contains 18 of the 20 proposed criteria within the catalogue which identified 99.6% of the patients who were admitted to the trauma room following an accident and who died during their hospital stay. Moreover, our analysis showed that at least one criterion was fulfilled in 59,785 cases (79.1%). The average ISS in this group was 21.2 points (SD 9.9). None of the examined criteria applied to 15,828 cases (average ISS 8.6; SD 5). The number of consensus-based criteria correlated with the severity of injury and mortality. Of all deceased patients (8,451), only 31 (0.37%) could not be identified on the basis of the 18 examined criteria. Where only one criterion was fulfilled, mortality was 1.7%; with 2 or more criteria, mortality was at least 4.6%.DiscussionThe consensus-based criteria identified nearly all patients who died as a result of their injuries. If only one criterion was fulfilled, mortality was relatively low. However, it increased to almost 5% if two criteria were fulfilled. Further studies are necessary to analyse and examine the relative weighting of the various criteria.


2020 ◽  
pp. 000313482095145
Author(s):  
Ram V. Anantha ◽  
Matthew D. Painter ◽  
Franck Diaz-Garelli ◽  
Andrew M. Nunn ◽  
Preston R. Miller ◽  
...  

Background Elderly trauma patients are at risk for undertriage, resulting in substantial morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study was to determine whether implementation of geriatric-specific trauma team activation (TTA) protocols appropriately identified severely-injured elderly patients. Methods This single-center retrospective study evaluated all severely injured (injury severity score [ISS] >15), geriatric (≥65 years) patients admitted to our Level 1 tertiary-care hospital between January 2014 and September 2017. Undertriage was defined as the lack of TTA despite presence of severe injuries. The primary outcome was all-cause in-hospital mortality; secondary outcomes were mortality within 48 hours of admission and urgent hemorrhage control. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of appropriate triage in this study. Results Out of 1039 severely injured geriatric patients, 628 (61%) did not undergo TTA. Undertriaged patients were significantly older and had more comorbidities. In-hospital mortality was 5% and 31% in the undertriaged and appropriately triaged groups, respectively ( P < .0001). One percent of undertriaged patients needed urgent hemorrhage control, compared to 6% of the appropriately triaged group ( P < .0001). One percent of undertriaged patients died within 48 hours compared to 19% in the appropriately triaged group ( P < .0001). Predictors of appropriate triage include GCS, heart rate, systolic blood pressure, lactic acid, ISS, shock, and absence of dementia, stroke, or alcoholism. Discussion Geriatric-specific TTA guidelines continue to undertriage elderly trauma patients when using ISS as a metric to measure undertriage. However, undertriaged patients have much lower morbidity and mortality, suggesting the geriatric-specific TTA guidelines identify those patients at highest risk for poor outcomes.


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