Scand J Trauma Resus
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Scand J Trauma Resus · Jan 2014
Multicenter StudyHigher mortality rates among the elderly with mild traumatic brain injury: a nationwide cohort study.
It is known that the risk of death in elderly patients with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury is increased. However, the relationship between mild traumatic brain injury and death has never been established. We investigated the mortality rates of older patients with mild traumatic brain injury in Taiwan to evaluate if there is a higher risk of death compared with the general population. ⋯ Mild traumatic brain injury is an independent significant risk factor for death in the elderly.
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Scand J Trauma Resus · Jan 2014
Predictors of poor outcomes after significant chest trauma in multiply injured patients: a retrospective analysis from the German Trauma Registry (Trauma Register DGU®).
Blunt thoracic trauma is one of the critical injury mechanisms in multiply injured trauma victims. Although these patients present a plethora of potential structural damages to vital organs, it remains debated which injuries actually influence outcome and thereby should be addressed initially. Hence, the aim of this study was to identify the influence of critical structural damages on mortality. ⋯ We demonstrate quantitatively the influence of specific structural damages of the chest on critical outcome parameters. While most injuries of the chest wall have no or only limited impact in the study collective, injuries to the lung overall show adverse outcome. Injuries to the heart or thoracic vessels have a devastating prognosis following blunt chest trauma.
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Scand J Trauma Resus · Jan 2014
Regional intensive care transports: a prospective analysis of distance, time and cost for road, helicopter and fixed-wing ambulances.
There are three different types of ambulance systems, all of which can manage the same secondary intensive care patient transport mission: road ambulance, rotor-wing ambulance, and fixed-wing ambulance. We hypothesized that costs for specific transport distances would differ between systems. We aimed to analyze distances and observed times for ambulance intensive care secondary transport missions together with system costs to assess this. ⋯ In summary, based on an economic model developed from observed regional ICU patient transports, and cost estimations, different ambulance system cost-distances could be compared. Distance-cost and time results show that helicopters can be effective up to moderate ICU transport distances (400-500), though are expensive to operate. For longer ICU patient transports, fixed-wing transport systems are both cost and time effective compared to helicopter-based systems.
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Scand J Trauma Resus · Jan 2014
Observational StudyAnaerobic metabolism associated with traumatic hemorrhagic shock monitored by microdialysis of muscle tissue is dependent on the levels of hemoglobin and central venous oxygen saturation: a prospective, observational study.
Traumatic hemorrhagic shock resulting in tissue hypoxia is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in polytraumatized patients. Early identification of tissue hypoxia is possible with microdialysis. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between a marker of tissue hypoxia (L/P; lactate to pyruvate ratio) and selected parameters of systemic oxygen delivery (Hb; hemoglobin) and oxygen extraction (ScvO2; central venous oxygen saturation). We also investigated the severity of tissue hypoxia over the course of care. ⋯ The L/P ratio is useful to identify tissue ischemia and can estimate the effectiveness of fluid resuscitation. An increase in the L/P ratio is an early warning sign of inadequate tissue oxygenation and should lead to more detailed hemodynamic and laboratory monitoring. This information cannot usually be obtained from global markers.
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Scand J Trauma Resus · Jan 2014
Case ReportsSystematic training in focused cardiopulmonary ultrasound affects decision-making in the prehospital setting - two case reports.
We present two cases from the Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) in Denmark, in which prehospital physicians trained in cardiac ultrasound (FATE) disclosed significant pathology that induced a radical change for the critical patient's course.