European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society
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Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg · Oct 2023
Comparison of the prognostic validity of three simplified consciousness assessment scales with the Glasgow Coma Scale.
Various tools simpler than the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) have been proposed for the assessment of consciousness. In this study, the validity of three coma scales [Simplified Motor Scale, Modified GCS Motor Response, and AVPU (alert, verbal, painful, unresponsive)] is evaluated for the recognition of coma and the prediction of short- and long-term mortality and poor outcome. The predictive validity of these scales is also compared to the GCS. ⋯ The simplified scales showed inferior validity than the GCS. Their potential role in clinical practice needs further investigation. Thus, the replacement of the GCS as the main scale for consciousness assessment cannot be currently supported.
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Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg · Oct 2023
Validation of the orthopedic frailty score for measuring frailty in hip fracture patients: a cohort study based on the United States National inpatient sample.
The Orthopedic Frailty Score (OFS) has been proposed as a tool for measuring frailty in order to predict short-term postoperative mortality in hip fracture patients. This study aims to validate the OFS using a large national patient register to determine its relationship with adverse outcomes as well as length of stay and cost of hospital stay. ⋯ Patients with an elevated OFS display a substantially increased risk of mortality, complications, and failure-to-rescue as well as a prolonged and more costly hospital stay.
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Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg · Oct 2023
Stay and play or load and go? The association of on-scene advanced life support interventions with return of spontaneous circulation following traumatic cardiac arrest.
Traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (tOHCA) has a mortality rate over 95%. Many current protocols dictate rapid intra-arrest transport of these patients. We hypothesized that on-scene advanced life support (ALS) would increase the odds of arriving at the emergency department with ROSC (ROSC at ED) in comparison to performance of no ALS or ALS en route. ⋯ On-scene ALS interventions were associated with increased ROSC at ED in our study. These data suggest that initiating ALS prior to rapid transport to definitive care in the setting of tOHCA may increase the number of patients with a palpable pulse at ED arrival.
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Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg · Oct 2023
Early administration of high dose enoxaparin after traumatic brain injury.
Early enoxaparin 30 mg BID administration at 24 h post-injury has been demonstrated in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). However this dose can also yield subtherapeutic anti-Xa levels in 30-50% of trauma patients, suggesting that larger doses may be required for adequate prophylaxis against venous thromboembolism (VTE). The safety of enoxaparin 40 mg BID in trauma patients has previously been shown - however, these studies have largely excluded TBI patients. Therefore, we sought to demonstrate the safety of early enoxaparin 40 mg BID in a low-risk group of TBI patients. ⋯ Prior studies have demonstrated that enoxaparin 40 mg BID dosing is superior to traditional VTE prophylaxis in trauma patients. However, TBI patients are often excluded from this dosing due to concern for progression. Our study showed no clinical decline in mental status in a small cohort of low-risk TBI patients who received enoxaparin 40 mg BID.
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Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg · Oct 2023
Factors associated with the need for long-term total parenteral nutrition in survivors of acute superior mesenteric artery occlusion.
Acute superior mesenteric artery (SMA) occlusion is an uncommon condition associated with high mortality. If extensive bowel resection is performed for patients with acute SMA occlusion and the patient survives, long-term total parenteral nutrition (TPN) may be needed due to short bowel syndrome. This study examined factors associated with the need for long-term TPN after the treatment of acute SMA occlusion. ⋯ III.