The journal of trauma and acute care surgery
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J Trauma Acute Care Surg · May 2015
Multicenter StudyDoes unit designation matter? A dedicated trauma intensive care unit is associated with lower postinjury complication rates and death after major complication.
Recent data suggest that specialty intensive care units (ICUs) have outcomes better than those of mixed ICUs. The cause for this apparent discrepancy has not been well established. We hypothesized that trauma patients admitted to a dedicated trauma ICU (TICU) would have a lower complication rate as well as death after complication (failure to rescue [FTR]). ⋯ Prognostic study, level III.
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J Trauma Acute Care Surg · May 2015
Multicenter StudyFeasibility and utility of population-level geospatial injury profiling: prospective, national cohort study.
Geospatial analysis is increasingly being used to evaluate the design and effectiveness of trauma systems, but there are no metrics to describe the geographic distribution of incidents. The aim of this study, therefore, was to evaluate the feasibility and utility of using spatial analysis to characterize, at scale, the geospatial profile of an injured population. ⋯ This study demonstrates the feasibility and power of describing the geographic distribution of a group of injured patients. The methodology described has potential application for injury surveillance and trauma system design and evaluation.
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J Trauma Acute Care Surg · May 2015
Multicenter StudyThe implementation of a multinational "walking blood bank" in a combat zone: The experience of a health service team deployed to a medical treatment facility in Afghanistan.
We present here a description of the experience in whole-blood transfusion of a health service team deployed to a medical treatment facility in Afghanistan from June 2011 to October 2011. The aim of our work was to show how a "walking blood bank" could provide a sufficient supply. ⋯ Therapeutic study, level V.
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J Trauma Acute Care Surg · May 2015
Validation of the quality of ultrasound imaging and competence (QUICk) score as an objective assessment tool for the FAST examination.
The Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma (FAST) examination has become a valuable tool in trauma resuscitation. Despite the widespread use of FAST training among traumatologists, no evidence-based guidelines exist to support optimal training requirements or to provide quantitative objective assessments of imaging capabilities. Both Task-Specific Checklist (TSC) and Global Rating Scale (GRS) have been validated as objective skill assessment tools; we developed both types of scoring checklist and assessed them for construct validity with the FAST examination. ⋯ The QUICk Score is the first validated objective tool for assessment of the quality of FAST examination imaging. Use of this tool may be instrumental in developing an evidence-based minimum-performance standard and for assessing quality-improvement modifications in FAST examination training.
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J Trauma Acute Care Surg · May 2015
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative StudyAn open, parallel, randomized, comparative, multicenter investigation evaluating the efficacy and tolerability of Mepilex Ag versus silver sulfadiazine in the treatment of deep partial-thickness burn injuries.
Partial-thickness burns are among the most frequently encountered types of burns, and numerous dressing materials are available for their treatment. A multicenter, open, randomized, and parallel study was undertaken to determine the efficacy and tolerability of silver sulfadiazine (SSD) compared with an absorbent foam silver dressing, Mepilex Ag, on patients aged between 5 years and 65 years with deep partial-thickness thermal burn injuries (2.5-25% total body surface area). ⋯ Therapeutic study, level III.