J Trauma
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Pregnant women represent a major challenge in trauma care because of the risks to both mother and child and because of the difficulties in following standard protocols. ⋯ We suggest that normal lifestyle choices contribute to an increased risk of major trauma during pregnancy and merit greater awareness throughout the year.
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Comparative Study
A salmon thrombin-fibrin bandage controls arterial bleeding in a swine aortotomy model.
Recently, a wide variety of bandages have been formulated to attempt to improve the effectiveness of emergency intervention in situations of uncontrolled bleeding. The best of these dressings contain a mixture of human thrombin and fibrinogen. The presence of human components in these bandages, although effective, increases the cost of the dressing and raises questions of availability of raw materials and transmission of pathogens. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of dressings composed of salmon thrombin and fibrinogen in a swine aortotomy model. ⋯ Fibrin dressing using salmon-derived thrombin and fibrinogen is effective in controlling severe, uncontrolled bleeding. This dressing may offer an alternative to dressings composed of human coagulation proteins.
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The epidemiology and prognosis of fireworks-related injuries treated at a tertiary eye care center in less developed nations remain unknown. ⋯ Fireworks-related ocular injuries commonly affect young male subjects of northern India. Visual outcome is better in eyes having better initial BCVA or closed globe injury and if relative afferent pupillary defect, bottle rocket injury, intraocular foreign body, and endophthalmitis are absent.
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The purpose of this study was to determine the optimal time interval for identifying a pneumothorax (PTX) on chest radiograph (CXR) after placing a chest tube on water seal. ⋯ A normal chest radiograph obtained 3 hours after placing a chest tube on water seal effectively excludes development of a clinically significant pneumothorax.
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The authors sought to estimate the impact of the terrorist bombings of the Hong Kong Shanghai Banking Corporation headquarters and the British consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, on November 20, 2003, on two nearby hospitals, in terms of epidemiologic outcomes, resource utilization, and time course of emergency needs. ⋯ Mortality, injury, and hospitalization rates at both hospitals were consistent with previous reports of open-air mass-casualty terrorist bombings. The TERSH experienced an unprecedented demand for ED surge capacity in an open-air bombing.