The impact of a standardized “spine damage-control” protocol for unstable thoracic and lumbar spine fractures in severely injured patients

2013 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 590-596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip F. Stahel ◽  
Todd VanderHeiden ◽  
Michael A. Flierl ◽  
Brittany Matava ◽  
David Gerhardt ◽  
...  
Author(s):  
Suzan Dijkink ◽  
Erik W. van Zwet ◽  
Pieta Krijnen ◽  
Luke P. H. Leenen ◽  
Frank W. Bloemers ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Twenty years ago, an inclusive trauma system was implemented in the Netherlands. The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of structured trauma care on the concentration of severely injured patients over time. Methods All severely injured patients (Injury Severity Score [ISS] ≥ 16) documented in the Dutch Trauma Registry (DTR) in the calendar period 2008–2018 were included for analysis. We compared severely injured patients, with and without severe neurotrauma, directly brought to trauma centers (TC) and non-trauma centers (NTC). The proportion of patients being directly transported to a trauma center was determined, as was the total Abbreviated Injury Score (AIS), and ISS. Results The documented number of severely injured patients increased from 2350 in 2008 to 4694 in 2018. During this period, on average, 70% of these patients were directly admitted to a TC (range 63–74%). Patients without severe neurotrauma had a lower chance of being brought to a TC compared to those with severe neurotrauma. Patients directly presented to a TC were more severely injured, reflected by a higher total AIS and ISS, than those directly transported to a NTC. Conclusion Since the introduction of a well-organized trauma system in the Netherlands, trauma care has become progressively centralized, with more severely injured patients being directly presented to a TC. However, still 30% of these patients is initially brought to a NTC. Future research should focus on improving pre-hospital triage to facilitate swift transfer of the right patient to the right hospital.


2021 ◽  
pp. 219256822198929
Author(s):  
Arnaldo Sousa ◽  
Cláudia Rodrigues ◽  
Luís Barros ◽  
Pedro Serrano ◽  
Ricardo Rodrigues-Pinto

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study conducted at tertiary spinal trauma referral center. Objective: We aimed to determine if early definitive management of spine fractures in patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) shortens the intubation time and the length of stay (LOS), without increasing mortality. Methods: The medical records of all patients admitted to the ICU and submitted to surgical stabilization of spine fractures were reviewed over a 10-year period. Time to surgery, number of fractured vertebrae, degree of neurological injury, Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS II), ASA score and associated trauma were evaluated. Surgeries performed on the first 72 hours after trauma were defined as “early surgeries.” Intubation time, LOS on ICU, overall LOS and mortality rate were compared between patients operated early and late. Results: Fifty patients were included, 21 with cervical fractures, 23 thoracic and 6 lumbar. Baseline characteristics did not differ between patients in both groups. Patients with early surgical stabilization had significantly shorter intubation time, ICU-LOS and overall LOS, with no differences in terms of mortality rate. After multivariate adjustments overall LOS was significantly shorter in patients operated earlier. Conclusions: Early spinal stabilization (<72 hours) of severely injured patients is beneficial and shortens the intubation time, ICU-LOS and overall LOS, with no differences in terms of mortality rate. Although some patients may require a delay in treatment due to necessary medical stabilization, every reasonable effort should be made to treat patients with unstable spinal fractures as early as possible. Level of Evidence of the Study: Level III.


2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (2) ◽  
pp. e4084794
Author(s):  
Carlos Serna ◽  
José Julian Serna ◽  
Yaset Caicedo ◽  
Natalia Padilla ◽  
Linda M Gallego ◽  
...  

The spleen is one of the most commonly injured solid organs of the abdominal cavity and an early diagnosis can reduce the associated mortality. Over the past couple of decades, management of splenic injuries has evolved to a prefered non-operative approach even in severely injured cases. However, the optimal surgical management of splenic trauma in severely injured patients remains controversial. This article aims to present an algorithm for the management of splenic trauma in severely injured patients, that includes basic principles of damage control surgery and is based on the experience obtained by the Trauma and Emergency Surgery Group (CTE) of Cali, Colombia. The choice between a conservative or a surgical approach depends on the hemodynamic status of the patient. In hemodynamically stable patients, a computed tomography angiogram should be performed to determine if non-operative management is feasible and if angioembolization is required. While hemodynamically unstable patients should be transferred immediately to the operating room for damage control surgery, which includes splenic packing and placement of a negative pressure dressing, followed by angiography with embolization of any ongoing arterial bleeding. It is our recommendation that both damage control principles and emerging endovascular technologies should be applied to achieve splenic salvage when possible. However, if surgical bleeding persists a splenectomy may be required as a definitive lifesaving maneuver.


2019 ◽  
Vol 165 (6) ◽  
pp. e1-e1
Author(s):  
Christophe Joubert ◽  
A Sellier ◽  
J-B Morvan ◽  
N Beucler ◽  
J Bordes ◽  
...  

The management of a craniocerebral wound (CCW) remains challenging, particularly in a severely injured patient. Considering the complexity of the multilayer insult and damage control care in an unstable patient, every procedure performed should promptly benefit the patient. We report an illustrative case of a patient with a gunshot wound to the head that resulted in a CCW for which we applied vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) therapy according to damage control principles. We describe the technical approach and discuss the indications, results and technique by considering the literature available. VAC can be used for CCWs, particularly for large defects in selected patients according to clinical and CT evaluations following immediate resuscitation. In severely injured and unstable patients, VAC aims to delay definitive reconstructive and time-consuming treatment. Interestingly, it appears to be a safe treatment based on the previously described—but not exclusively trauma—cases with no secondary cerebrospinal fluid leakage encountered.


Critical Care ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Imach ◽  
Arasch Wafaisade ◽  
Rolf Lefering ◽  
Andreas Böhmer ◽  
Mark Schieren ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Outcome data about the use of tranexamic acid (TXA) in civilian patients in mature trauma systems are scarce. The aim of this study was to determine how severely injured patients are affected by the widespread prehospital use of TXA in Germany. Methods The international TraumaRegister DGU® was retrospectively analyzed for severely injured patients with risk of bleeding (2015 until 2019) treated with at least one dose of TXA in the prehospital phase (TXA group). These were matched with patients who had not received prehospital TXA (control group), applying propensity score-based matching. Adult patients (≥ 16) admitted to a trauma center in Germany with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) ≥ 9 points were included. Results The matching yielded two comparable cohorts (n = 2275 in each group), and the mean ISS was 32.4 ± 14.7 in TXA group vs. 32.0 ± 14.5 in control group (p = 0.378). Around a third in both groups received one dose of TXA after hospital admission. TXA patients were significantly more transfused (p = 0.022), but needed significantly less packed red blood cells (p ≤ 0.001) and fresh frozen plasma (p = 0.023), when transfused. Massive transfusion rate was significantly lower in the TXA group (5.5% versus 7.2%, p = 0.015). Mortality was similar except for early mortality after 6 h (p = 0.004) and 12 h (p = 0.045). Among non-survivors hemorrhage as leading cause of death was less in the TXA group (3.0% vs. 4.3%, p = 0.021). Thromboembolic events were not significantly different between both groups (TXA 6.1%, control 4.9%, p = 0.080). Conclusion This is the largest civilian study in which the effect of prehospital TXA use in a mature trauma system has been examined. TXA use in severely injured patients was associated with a significantly lower risk of massive transfusion and lower mortality in the early in-hospital treatment period. Due to repetitive administration, a dose-dependent effect of TXA must be discussed.


Surgery ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taylor E. Wallen ◽  
Dennis Hanseman ◽  
Charles C. Caldwell ◽  
Yao-Wei W. Wang ◽  
Charles E. Wade ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Sven Märdian ◽  
Fitz Klein ◽  
André Solarek ◽  
Lena Nonnen ◽  
Detlef Cwojdzinski ◽  
...  

Abstract A lack of sterile surgical instrument sets for damage control surgeries of severely injured patients became evident in a series of in-hospital mass casualty trainings in the German capital of Berlin. Moreover, the existing instrument trays contained mostly specialized instruments for elective interventions and were not well composed for the treatment of poly-traumatized patients. After a literature search on the most common injury patterns in Mass Casualty Incidents (MCIs), an expert group of surgeons from different disciplines designed an optimized instrument set. A set of 194 instruments was assembled and distributed into two containers. These 2 sets were subjected to a 6-month trial phase in our hospital, and the evaluation of usability was subsequently analyzed through feedback forms administered to the staff. After analysis of the feedback sheets, only minor alterations had to be incorporated. The Berlin Acute Trauma Care Instrument Set (BATMIN) was then made available by the state of Berlin to Berlin Hospitals providing acute trauma care. Out of the need to be prepared for mass casualties, we created an instrument set suitable for the damage control surgery of severely injured patients in individual care and MCIs.


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