The American surgeon
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The American surgeon · Mar 2011
Cardiopulmonary arrest occurring in the radiology department: patient characteristics, incidence, and outcomes.
Despite efforts for patient stabilization before radiologic procedures, cardiopulmonary arrests still occur. The purpose of our study was to define the incidence, patient characteristics, and outcomes of patients having cardiopulmonary arrest in a radiology department. We retrospectively reviewed patients sustaining cardiopulmonary arrest in the radiology department from 2002 to 2007. ⋯ Cardiopulmonary arrest occurring in the radiology department is a rare but potentially lethal occurrence. Patients undergoing vascular access procedures may be an at-risk group. Further study is needed to evaluate potential risk factors for cardiopulmonary arrest occurring in the radiology department.
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The American surgeon · Mar 2011
Outcomes after severe head injury: a National Trauma Data Bank-based comparison of Level I and Level II trauma centers.
Severely head-injured patients require significant resources across the continuum of care. The objective of this study is to analyze the impact of the level of trauma center designation on the outcome of the severely head-injured patient. The National Trauma Data Bank between 2001 and 2006 (NTDB 6.2) was queried for all patients with isolated traumatic head injury and Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) less than 9. ⋯ The comparisons between Level I and Level II trauma centers shows that Level II centers are not inferior to Level I in terms of outcomes and complication rate. Level II trauma centers encounter patients with isolated complex head injury less often but with outcomes and complication rates comparable to that of Level I centers. The transport of head-injured patients should not bypass Level II in favor of Level I.