The journal of trauma and acute care surgery
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J Trauma Acute Care Surg · Dec 2012
Long-term outcomes of combat casualties sustaining penetrating traumatic brain injury.
Previous studies have documented short-term functional outcomes for patients sustaining penetrating brain injuries (PBIs). However, little is known regarding the long-term functional outcome in this patient population. Therefore, we sought to describe the long-term functional outcomes of combat casualties sustaining PBI. ⋯ Epidemiologic study, level III.
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J Trauma Acute Care Surg · Dec 2012
Impact of definitions on trauma center mortality rates and performance.
Trauma center performance depends on quality metrics, such as mortality rates, but there have been few studies on how an exact definition of death can influence these statistics. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that the mortality rate at one trauma center could be influenced by the interpretation of "dead on arrival." Personal communication suggests that this definition is applied variably throughout our state. ⋯ Epidemiologic study, level III.
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J Trauma Acute Care Surg · Dec 2012
Toward a better definition of massive transfusion: focus on the interval of hemorrhage control.
In clinical research, massive transfusion (MT) is commonly defined as transfusion of 10 or more red blood cell (RBC) units within 24 hours. However, the clinical relevance of this definition remains poorly understood. In this study, we evaluated whether patients who reach the MT threshold during hemorrhage control differ clinically from those who reach it after hemorrhage control (i.e., after intensive care unit [ICU] arrival) but before 24 hours. ⋯ Prognostic study, level II.
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J Trauma Acute Care Surg · Dec 2012
The Armed Services Blood Program: blood support to combat casualty care 2001 to 2011.
The Armed Services Blood Program (ASBP) provides the farthest-reaching blood supply in the world. This article provides statistics and a review of blood operations in support of combat casualty care during the last 10 years. It also outlines changes in blood doctrine in support of combat casualty care. ⋯ Epidemiologic study, level IV.