Injury
-
Injury prevention in Indigenous communities in Australia is a continuing national challenge, with Indigenous fatality rates due to injury three times higher than the general population. Suicide and transport are the leading causes of injury mortality, and assault, transport and falls the primary causes of injury morbidity. ⋯ Poor data, lack of funding and absence of targeted programs are some of the issues that impede injury prevention activities. Traditional approaches to injury prevention can be used to highlight key areas of need, however adaptations are needed in keeping with Indigenous peoples' holistic approach to health, linked to land and linked to community in order to address the complex spiritual, emotional and social determinants of Indigenous injury.
-
Trauma continues to be a significant health issue for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities. Data related to trauma, covering a range of issues, shows poor outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients. The context of trauma in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and the effect of social issues must be understood in order to effectively address trauma at clinical, health system, and public health levels.
-
To investigate in fractures of the fifth metacarpal neck whether there is any difference in functional results of non-operative treatments with dorsal angulation either below or above 30 degrees. ⋯ With non-operative treatment of fractures of the neck of the fifth metacarpal, similar results were achieved with dorsal angulation either above or below 30 degrees. A dorsal angulation less than 45 degrees may be treated conservatively.
-
Risk factors for mortality after blunt cervical trauma have received little attention within the literature. Therefore, we performed a study, to determine which factors are associated with mortality in patients with blunt cervical trauma. ⋯ Age and involvement of the third cervical vertebrae were both independent predictors of mortality. Age has been previously described as a risk factor for adverse prognosis in different diseases and trauma's. However, involvement of the third cervical vertebrae has not yet been described as a significant risk factor. Before implementation within trauma support further research is needed to evaluate the role of the third cervical vertebra regarding adverse prognosis and mortality in trauma patients.
-
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a very destructive process for both patients and society. Lipid peroxidation is the main cause of the further secondary damage which starts after mechanical destruction of tissues. Recent studies have shown that erythropoietin (EPO) has neuroprotective properties. ⋯ In conclusion, our results suggest that 150 i.u./kg i.p. EPO, a therapeutic dose in anaemic patients, applied after 1h of spinal cord injury significantly attenuated the oxidative damage of spinal cord injuries in rats. This activity is abolished via ketamine pretreatment.