Wittmann Patch

2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (8) ◽  
pp. 981-984
Author(s):  
Hannah M. Nemec ◽  
D. Benjamin Christie ◽  
Anne Montgomery ◽  
Danny M. Vaughn

Introduction Damage control laparotomy (DCL) is a life-saving surgical technique, but the resultant open abdomen (OA) carries serious morbidity/mortality. Many methods are utilized to manage OAs, but discrepancy exists in distinguishing closure from coverage techniques. We observed a difference in our DCL patient outcomes managed with the Wittmann Patch (WP) closure device versus the more popular ABThera (AB) coverage device. We hypothesized that the WP contributed to an improved fascial closure rate of the OAs after DCL. Methods A retrospective review of OAs managed with the AB or WP at our Level 1 trauma center was performed using billing codes to capture DCL patients from 2011 to 2019. Patients were divided into AB alone or WP groups. Major endpoints included primary fascial closure (PFC) and delayed fascial closure (DFC, fascial closure after greater than 7 days). Results 189 patients were identified as AB and 38 as WP. Rates of death before closure, age, gender, and Injury Severity Score were similar in both groups. PFC = 81%-90% for AB versus WP, respectively. Excluding patients with preexisting hernias PFC = 87%-100% for AB versus WP ( P < .05) and DFC = 44%-100% for AB versus WP ( P ≤ 0.001). WP had a statistically higher rate of PFC and DFC. There was a decreased incidence of complications in the WP versus AB group. Conclusions While not well reported in the peer-reviewed literature, the application of the WP for management of the OA is an active form of pursuing PFC when compared with the AB, a coverage device. Our interinstitutional results have demonstrated superior PFC and DFC rates and fewer complications, in patients managed with the WP compared with the AB.

2016 ◽  
Vol 82 (12) ◽  
pp. 1178-1182
Author(s):  
Margaret H. Lauerman ◽  
Joseph J. Dubose ◽  
Deborah M. Stein ◽  
Samuel M. Galvagno ◽  
Matthew J. Bradley ◽  
...  

Management of patients undergoing damage control laparotomy (DCL) involves many surgical, medical, and logistical factors. Ideal patient management optimizing fascial closure with regard to timing and closure techniques remains unclear. A retrospective review of patients undergoing DCL from 2000 to 2012 at an urban Level I trauma center was undertaken. Mortality of DCL decreased over the study period from 62.5 to 34.6 per cent, whereas enterocutaneous fistula rate decreased from 12.5 to 3.8 per cent. Delayed primary fascial closure rate improved from 22.2 to 88.2 per cent. Time to closure ( P < 0.001), time to first attempted closure ( P < 0.001), and number of explorations ( P < 0.001) were associated with ability to achieve delayed primary fascial closure. In subgroup analysis, achievement of delayed primary fascial closure was decreased with time to closure after one week (91.7% vs 52.0%, P = 0.002) and time to first attempted closure after two days (86.5% vs 70.0%, P = 0.042). In multivariate analysis, time to closure (odds ratio: 0.13, 95% confidence interval: 0.04–0.39; P < 0.001) and time to first attempted closure (odds ratio: 0.61, 95% confidence interval: 0.37–0.99; P = 0.046) were the only factors associated with achieving delayed primary fascial closure. Timing of attempted closure plays a significant role in attaining delayed primary fascial closure, highlighting the importance of early re-exploration.


2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (5) ◽  
pp. 467-475
Author(s):  
Sara Seegert ◽  
Roberta E. Redfern ◽  
Bethany Chapman ◽  
Daniel Benson

Trauma centers monitor under- and overtriage rates to comply with American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma verification requirements. Efforts to maintain acceptable rates are often undertaken as part of quality assurance. The purpose of this project was to improve the institutional undertriage rate by focusing on appropriately triaging patients transferred from outside hospitals (OSHs). Trauma physicians received education and pocket cards outlining injury severity score (ISS) calculation to aid in prospectively estimating ISS for patients transferred from OSHs, and activate the trauma response expected for that score. Under- and overtriage rates before and after the intervention were compared. The postintervention period saw a significant decrease in overall overtriage rate, with simultaneous trend toward lower overall undertriage rate, attributable to the significant reduction in undertriage rate of patients transferred from OSHs. Prospectively estimating ISS to assist in determining trauma activation level shows promise in managing appropriate patient triage. However, questions arose regarding the necessity for full trauma activation for transferred patients, regardless of ISS. It may be necessary to reconsider how patients transferred from OSHs are evaluated. Full trauma activation can be a financial and resource burden, and should not be taken lightly.


2010 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 557-561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chadi T. Abouassaly ◽  
William D. Dutton ◽  
Victor Zaydfudim ◽  
Lesly A. Dossett ◽  
Timothy C. Nunez ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Powers Kinney ◽  
Kamal Gursahani ◽  
Eric Armbrecht ◽  
Preeti Dalawari

Objective: Previous studies looking at emergency department (ED) crowding and delays of care on outcome measures for certain medical and surgical patients excluded trauma patients. The objectives of this study were to assess the relationship of trauma patients’ ED length of stay (EDLOS) on hospital length of stay (HLOS) and on mortality; and to examine the association of ED and hospital capacity on EDLOS.Methods: This was a retrospective database review of Level 1 and 2 trauma patients at a single site Level 1 Trauma Center in the Midwest over a one year period. Out of a sample of 1,492, there were 1,207 patients in the analysis after exclusions. The main outcome was the difference in hospital mortality by EDLOS group (short was less than 4 hours vs. long, greater than 4 hours). HLOS was compared by EDLOS group, stratified by Trauma Injury Severity Score (TRISS) category (< 0.5, 0.51-0.89, > 0.9) to describe the association between ED and hospital capacity on EDLOS.Results: There was no significant difference in mortality by EDLOS (4.8% short and 4% long, p = .5). There was no significant difference in HLOS between EDLOS, when adjusted for TRISS. ED census did not affect EDLOS (p = .59), however; EDLOS was longer when the percentage of staffed hospital beds available was lower (p < .001).Conclusions: While hospital overcrowding did increase EDLOS, there was no association between EDLOS and mortality or HLOS in leveled trauma patients at this institution.


Author(s):  
NASSER ALRASHIDI

Objectives: Traumatic pneumothorax is one of the causes of trauma mortality and morbidity. It is a problem for developing countries as many accidents can be avoided and there are few epidemiological data to support programs injury prevention. The main objective of the current study was to determine demographic characteristics, patterns, and severity of the injury, thoracic, and extra-thoracic related injuries in a Level 1 trauma center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (SA). Methods: This retrospective observational study used the King Abdulaziz Medical City Trauma Center’s trauma registry to review the data of traumatic pneumothorax patients admitted to the hospital from January 2001 to December 2018. Demographic characteristics, admission date and time, type and mechanism of injury, involved body area, and severity rates were analyzed. Results: A total of 708 patients of whom 92.3% were males. Blunt trauma (75.8%) is the most common cause of injury. Motor Vehicle Accidents (MVA) were the most common cause (57%) of traumatic pneumothorax. Rib fractures (36.5%), lung contusions (31.5%), and hemothorax (23.5%) were the most common clinical forms of chest injury associated with traumatic pneumothorax. On the other hand, the head injury (34.8%) was the most common extra thoracic part associated. The mean Injury Severity Score in the current study was found to be 20.1. Conclusion: This study showed the trends of traumatic pneumothorax injuries in a Level 1 trauma center, Riyadh, SA, showing MVA are the leading cause of traumatic pneumothorax in our region. These demographic data will be crucial for local health-care systems to be optimally resourced.


2005 ◽  
Vol 71 (5) ◽  
pp. 402-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mamta Swaroop ◽  
Michael Williams ◽  
Wendy Ricketts Greene ◽  
Jack Sava ◽  
Kenneth Park ◽  
...  

The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of wound dehiscence after repeat trauma laparotomy. We performed a retrospective analysis of adult trauma patients who underwent laparotomy at an urban level 1 trauma center during the past 5 years. Patients were divided into single (SL) and multiple laparotomy (ML) groups. Demographic, clinical, and outcome data were collected. Data were analyzed using χ2, t testing, and ANOVA. Overall dehiscence rate was 0.7 per cent. Multiple laparotomy patients had damage control, staged management of their injuries, or abdominal compartment syndrome as the reason for reexploration. SL and ML patients had similar age and sex. ML patients had a higher rate of intra-abdominal abscess than SL patients (13.7% vs 1.2% P < 0.0001), but intra-abdominal abscess did not predict wound dehiscence in the ML group ( P = 0.24). This was true in spite of the fact that ML patients had a significantly higher Injury Severity Score (ISS) than SL patients (21.68 vs 14.35, P < 0.0001). Interestingly, wound infection did not predict dehiscence. Patients undergoing repeat laparotomy after trauma are at increased risk for wound dehiscence. This risk appears to be associated with intraabdominal abscess and ISS, but not wound infection. Surgeons should leave the skin open in the setting of repeat trauma laparotomy, which will allow serial assessment of the integrity of the fascial closure.


2014 ◽  
Vol 80 (11) ◽  
pp. 1132-1135 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter E. Fischer ◽  
Paul D. Colavita ◽  
Gregory P. Fleming ◽  
Toan T. Huynh ◽  
A. Britton Christmas ◽  
...  

Transfer of severely injured patients to regional trauma centers is often expedited; however, transfer of less-injured, older patients may not evoke the same urgency. We examined referring hospitals’ length of stay (LOS) and compared the subsequent outcomes in less-injured transfer patients (TP) with patients presenting directly (DP) to the trauma center. We reviewed the medical records of less-injured (Injury Severity Score [ISS] 9 or less), older (age older than 60 years) patients transferred to a regional Level 1 trauma center to determine the referring facility LOS, demographics, and injury information. Outcomes of the TP were then compared with similarly injured DP using local trauma registry data. In 2011, there were 1657 transfers; the referring facility LOS averaged greater than 3 hours. In the less-injured patients (ISS 9 or less), the average referring facility LOS was 3 hours 20 minutes compared with 2 hours 24 minutes in more severely injured patients (ISS 25 or greater, P < 0.05). The mortality was significantly lower in the DP patients (5.8% TP vs 2.6% DP, P = 0.035). Delays in transfer of less-injured, older trauma patients can result in poor outcomes including increased mortality. Geographic challenges do not allow for every patient to be transported directly to a trauma center. As a result, we propose further outreach efforts to identify potential causes for delay and to promote compliance with regional referral guidelines.


Author(s):  
Wei-Ti Su ◽  
Shao-Chun Wu ◽  
Sheng-En Chou ◽  
Chun-Ying Huang ◽  
Shiun-Yuan Hsu ◽  
...  

Background: Hyperglycemia at admission is associated with an increase in worse outcomes in trauma patients. However, admission hyperglycemia is not only due to diabetic hyperglycemia (DH), but also stress-induced hyperglycemia (SIH). This study was designed to evaluate the mortality rates between adult moderate-to-severe thoracoabdominal injury patients with admission hyperglycemia as DH or SIH and in patients with nondiabetic normoglycemia (NDN) at a level 1 trauma center. Methods: Patients with a glucose level ≥200 mg/dL upon arrival at the hospital emergency department were diagnosed with admission hyperglycemia. Diabetes mellitus (DM) was diagnosed when patients had an admission glycohemoglobin A1c ≥6.5% or had a past history of DM. Admission hyperglycemia related to DH and SIH was diagnosed in patients with and without DM. Patients who had a thoracoabdominal Abbreviated Injury Scale score <3, a polytrauma, a burn injury and were below 20 years of age were excluded. A total of 52 patients with SIH, 79 patients with DH, and 621 patients with NDN were included from the registered trauma database between 1 January 2009, and 31 December 2018. To reduce the confounding effects of sex, age, comorbidities, and injury severity of patients in assessing the mortality rate, different 1:1 propensity score-matched patient populations were established to assess the impact of admission hyperglycemia (SIH or DH) vs. NDN, as well as SIH vs. DH, on the outcomes. Results: DH was significantly more frequent in older patients (61.4 ± 13.7 vs. 49.8 ± 17.2 years, p < 0.001) and in patients with higher incidences of preexisting hypertension (2.5% vs. 0.3%, p < 0.001) and congestive heart failure (3.8% vs. 1.9%, p = 0.014) than NDN. On the contrary, SIH had a higher injury severity score (median [Q1–Q3], 20 [15–22] vs. 13 [10–18], p < 0.001) than DH. In matched patient populations, patients with either SIH or DH had a significantly higher mortality rate than NDN patients (10.6% vs. 0.0%, p = 0.022, and 5.3% vs. 0.0%, p = 0.043, respectively). However, the mortality rate was insignificantly different between SIH and DH (11.4% vs. 8.6%, odds ratio, 1.4; 95% confidence interval, 0.29–6.66; p = 0.690). Conclusion: This study revealed that admission hyperglycemia in the patients with thoracoabdominal injuries had a higher mortality rate than NDN patients with or without adjusting the differences in patient’s age, sex, comorbidities, and injury severity.


2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (8) ◽  
pp. 937-943
Author(s):  
Scott Ninokawa ◽  
Jessica Friedman ◽  
Danielle Tatum ◽  
Alison Smith ◽  
Sharven Taghavi ◽  
...  

Introduction There is disagreement in the trauma community concerning the extent to which emergency medical services (EMS) should perform on-scene interventions. Additionally, in recent years the “ABC” algorithm has been questioned in hypotensive patients. The objective of this study was to quantify the delay introduced by different on-scene interventions. Methods A retrospective analysis of hypotensive trauma patients brought to an urban level 1 trauma center by EMS from 2007 to 2018 was performed, and patients were stratified by mechanism of injury and new injury severity score (NISS). Independent samples median tests were used to compare median on-scene times. Results Among 982 trauma patients, median on-scene time was 5 minutes (interquartile range 3-8). In penetrating trauma patients ( n = 488) with NISS of 16-25, intubation significantly increased scene time from 4 to 6 minutes ( P < .05). In penetrating trauma patients with NISS of 10-15, wound care significantly increased scene time from 3 to 6 minutes ( P < .05). Tourniquet use, interosseous (IO) access, intravenous (IV) access, and needle decompression did not significantly increase scene time. Conclusion Understanding that intubation increases scene time in penetrating trauma, while IV and IO access do not, alterations to the traditional “ABC” algorithm may be warranted. Further investigation of prehospital interventions is needed to determine which are appropriate on-scene.


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