J Trauma
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Comparative Study
Safety and feasibility of craniectomy with duraplasty as the initial surgical intervention for severe traumatic brain injury.
Decompressive craniectomy has historically served as a salvage procedure to control intracranial pressure after severe traumatic brain injury. We assessed the safety and feasibility of performing craniectomy as the initial surgical intervention. ⋯ Despite more severe injury severity, patients undergoing initial craniectomy had outcomes similar to those undergoing traditional surgery. A randomized evaluation of the effect of early craniectomy on outcome is warranted.
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Comparative Study
Accurate deployment of vena cava filters: comparison of intravascular ultrasound and contrast venography.
The increasing use of vena cava filters by trauma surgeons has led to reports of filter placement using intravascular ultrasound (IVUS). Although attractive because of its ease of use and elimination of contrast and radiation, no studies have examined the accuracy of filter placement by IVUS as compared with contrast venography (CV). The purpose of this study was to compare the anatomic information obtained by both techniques during filter placement. ⋯ IVUS is a more accurate method of localizing the renal veins and measuring vena cava diameter for placement of vena cava filters than contrast venography.
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Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) are one of the leading causes of death in the nation and in New York State, particularly among younger adult males. It is important to study how to reduce mortality from MVCs. ⋯ Risk-adjusted inpatient mortality rates for victims of MVCs may not yield a fair comparison of performance for different levels of care or for different hospitals because of differences in how quickly emergency department patients are admitted to the hospital. A more equitable way to assess hospital mortality rates may be to include emergency department deaths in addition to inpatient deaths.