Irish journal of medical science
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Traumatic injuries are among the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Major trauma presentations have seen a demographic shift recently from the young to the elderly, with significant associated neurological deficit. ⋯ Elderly patients with complete SCIs have poorer outcomes and mortality than those with less extensive SCIs. They require more resources, have greater risk of complications, and have higher mortality than those with incomplete SCIs, with subsequent implications on optimal treatment strategies. More robust studies are needed to derive improved risk stratification tools for geriatric patients with spinal injuries.
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Trauma is one of the common reasons for emergency department (ED) presentations. Specifically, severe-trauma patients often present with mortal complications, including traumatic shock or respiratory or multiorgan failure/dysfunction, and these situations cause high-mortality risk. Scoring systems in the triage of trauma patients can help determine the injury's severity and the patient's prognosis. ⋯ In conclusion, RTS and CRAMS better predicted mortality in high-energy-trauma patients than EWS.
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The Five Times Sit-to-Stand Test (FTSST) is a method that evaluates lower extremity muscle strength and balance level. The aim of this study is to test the validity and reliability of the FTSST in patients with non-specific chronic low back pain (NSCLBP) whose lower extremity muscle strength and balance levels are adversely affected. ⋯ In line with the findings of our study, we think that FTSST is a simple, easy, and reproducible method for evaluating lower extremity muscle strength, balance level, functional status, and pain in patients with NSCLBP.
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This study aimed to determine how an early occupational therapy (OT) intervention affected hospital length of stay (LOS) in a sample of patients with a moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). ⋯ These results suggest that providing early OT interventions to patients with moderate and severe TBIs can help decrease their LOS, which can contribute to reduced treatment costs.
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A full set of pre-operative bloods is being done on nearly all trauma patients who are admitted to our institute for surgery-regardless of variables such as patient age, injury sustained, or co-morbidities. This leads to unnecessary bloods being taken. ⋯ We have demonstrated that an excessive amount of unnecessary pre-operative bloods have been taken using the current blood schedule. A pragmatic pre-operative blood schedule can lead to significant actual cost savings.