European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society
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Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg · Jan 2025
Hospital admission of older patients with mild traumatic brain injury and traumatic intracranial hemorrhage: is it always necessary?
Traumatic intracranial hemorrhage (tICH) after mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is not uncommon in the elderly. Often, these patients are admitted to the hospital for observation. The necessity of admission in the absence of clinically important intracranial injuries is however unclear. ⋯ Serious adverse outcomes are frequently observed in older mTBI patients with tICH. Nonetheless, our findings suggest that older patients with an isolated tSAH are at low-risk for deterioration and may be directly discharged from the ED after a short period of observation.
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Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg · Jan 2025
CPR related injuries of the chest wall: direct and indirect fractures.
Rib and sternum fractures are common injuries associated with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The fracture mechanism is either direct by application of force on sternum and anterior ribs or indirect by bending through compression of the thorax. The aim of this study was to determine morphologies of rib fractures after CPR and to reevaluate prior findings on fracture localisation, type and degree of dislocation. ⋯ We confirmed prior findings regarding fracture patterns in CPR related injuries. We observed approximately 2-3 times as many straight-lined fractures as oblique ones following indirect trauma. One third of all fractures are incomplete, these highlights the special characteristics like high elasticity of ribs.
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Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg · Jan 2025
Assessment of the proficiency level of novices in distal intramedullary nail interlocking achieved through training with Digitally Enhanced Hands-on Surgical Training (DEHST).
Digitally Enhanced Hands-on Surgical Training (DEHST) platform was introduced to overcome the lack of training capabilities for the challenging task of freehand distal interlocking of intramedullary nails. It demonstrates high perceived realism for surgeons, and novices perform significantly better after DEHST training. However, characterization of how performance improves remained unexplored. The aim of this study was to evaluate the training progression of novices in freehand distal interlocking during five training rounds with DEHST and to compare their performance in a simulated operation against experienced surgeons. ⋯ DEHST appears to be a useful tool to gradually improve the proficiency level of novices and to train relevant practical surgical skills needed for distal interlocking of intramedullary nails. However, further investigations are needed to demonstrate the performance under the conditions of a real operation.
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Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg · Jan 2025
Review Practice GuidelineManagement of mass casualty incidents: a systematic review and clinical practice guideline update.
Our aim was to generate evidence- and consensus-based recommendations for the management of mass casualty incidents (MCIs) based on current evidence. This guideline topic is part of the 2022 update of the German guideline on the treatment of patients with severe/multiple injuries. ⋯ Due to unsatisfactory evidence, recommendations could only be made on training for improving triage quality and regular exercises for testing a hospital's emergency response plan. No triage algorithm can be scientifically proven to be superior in all aspects. The key recommendation is the following: To improve triage quality, exercises or (virtual) training should be conducted in-house using verified triage systems and algorithms.
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Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg · Jan 2025
Comparative StudyMobility and living status at discharge and after three-months for extramedullary versus intramedullary fixation of AO type 31-A1 trochanteric fractures; an analysis of Dutch hip fracture audit data.
The use of intramedullary fixation of AO type 31-A1 fractures is rising, despite evidence of non-superiority when compared with extramedullary fixation. The aim of this study was to evaluate mobility and living status for extramedullary fixation (EMF) versus intramedullary fixation (IMF) in Dutch hospitals during the initial hospital stay and until three-months after trauma. ⋯ This study showed no meaningful differences between EMF and IMF of type 31-A1 trochanteric fractures during hospital stay and until three-month follow-up. Despite little differences in outcome and EMF being the treatment option of first choice by the Dutch Hip fracture guideline, IMF is used in the vast majority of patients.