European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society
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Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg · Oct 2016
Observational StudyPercutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) in trauma patients: a safe procedure.
Percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) is a standard procedure routinely performed on intensive care units. While complication rates and long-term outcomes have been studied in different patient populations, there are few studies known to these authors involving PDT in trauma patients and the complications which may result. ⋯ PDT is a safe procedure in trauma patients. When considering the severity of complications such as major blood loss, pneumothorax, or death, this evidence suggests that PDT is safer in trauma patients compared to other patient cohorts.
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Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg · Oct 2016
Assessing bicycle-related trauma using the biomarker S100B reveals a correlation with total injury severity.
Worldwide, the use of bicycles, for both recreation and commuting, is increasing. S100B, a suggested protein biomarker for cerebral injury, has been shown to correlate to extracranial injury as well. Using serum levels of S100B, we aimed to investigate how S100B could be used when assessing injuries in patients suffering from bicycle trauma injury. As a secondary aim, we investigated how hospital length of stay and injury severity score (ISS) were correlated to S100B levels. ⋯ S100B levels were independently correlated with intracranial pathology, but also with the extent of extracranial injury. Length of stay and ISS were both correlated with the admission levels of S100B in bicycle trauma, suggesting S100B to be a good marker of aggregated injury severity. Further studies are warranted to confirm our findings.
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Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg · Oct 2016
Cervical collar effect on pulmonary volumes in patients with trauma.
According to Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) for trauma patients, a cervical collar should be applied initially. Patients on backboards with a cervical collar mostly complain of dyspnea and tend to take the collar off or roll themselves off the backboard. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of collar removal on lung volumes and dyspnea in patients with GCS 15. ⋯ Cervical collar applications in trauma patients cause a significant decrease in lung capacity and spirometry parameters. Patients suffering from lung diseases and respiratory distress require special attention which means that the cervical collar should be removed as soon as cervical injuries are ruled out so as to avoid hypoxia.