Injury
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The early and accurate identification of patients with blunt thoracic aortic injury (BTAI) remains a challenge. Traditionally, a portable AP chest X-ray (CXR) is utilized as the initial screening modality for BTAI, however, there is controversy surrounding its sensitivity. The purpose of this study was to assess the sensitivity of CXR as a screening modality for BTAI. ⋯ The results from this study suggest that CXR alone is not a reliable screening modality for BTAI. A combination of screening CXR and careful consideration of other factors, such as mechanism of injury, will be required to effectively discriminate between those who should and should not undergo chest CT.
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CT scans with a flat Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) suggest hypovolemia, and the presence of shock bowel implies hypoperfusion. The purpose of this study is to correlate injury severity, resuscitation needs, and clinical outcomes with CT indices of hypovolemia and hypoperfusion. ⋯ Hypovolemia and hypoperfusion, markers of abnormal circulation, were demonstrated on CT scans for trauma evaluation. The presence of these findings alone or in combination showed strong correlation with high injury severity, and the need for aggressive resuscitation.
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Comparative Study
The hazards of off-road motor sports: Are four wheels better than two?
Off-road motorsports are an increasing popular activity, yet the relative safety profile of all-terrain vehicles (ATV) to off-road motorcycles (ORMC) has not been compared. ⋯ For injured riders, ATVs are associated with increased mortality and higher resource utilisation compared to ORMCs. Both groups suffer distinct anatomic injuries, suggesting the need for focused areas of injury prevention planning and research.
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It is a common refrain at major urban trauma centers that caseloads increase in the heat of the summer. Several previous studies supported this assertion, finding trauma admissions and crime to correlate positively with temperature. We examined links between weather and violence in Baltimore, MD, through trauma presentation to Johns Hopkins Hospital and crime reports filed with the Baltimore Police Department. ⋯ Maximum daily temperature is the most important weather factor associated with violence and trauma in our study period and location. Our findings suggest potential implications for hospital staffing to be explored in future studies.
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Multicenter Study
Prediction of intra-hospital mortality after severe trauma: which pre-hospital score is the most accurate?
Computing trauma scores in the field allows immediate severity assessment for appropriate triage. Two pre-hospital scores can be useful in this context: the Triage-Revised Trauma Score (T-RTS) and the Mechanism, Glasgow, Age and arterial Pressure (MGAP) score. The Trauma Revised Injury Severity Score (TRISS), not applicable in the pre-hospital setting, is the reference score to predict in-hospital mortality after severe trauma. The aim of this study was to compare T-RTS, MGAP and TRISS in a cohort of consecutive patients admitted in the Trauma system of the Northern French Alps(TRENAU). ⋯ Pre-hospital calculation of the MGAP score appeared superior to T-RTS score in predicting intra-hospital mortality in a cohort of trauma patients. Although TRISS had the highest AUC, this score can only be available after hospital admission. These findings suggest that the MGAP score could be of interest in the pre-hospital setting to assess patients' severity. However, its lack of sensitivity indicates that MGAP should not replace the decision scheme to direct the most severe patients to level-I trauma center.