European journal of trauma and emergency surgery : official publication of the European Trauma Society
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Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg · Jun 2014
Pooled preventable death rates in trauma patients : Meta analysis and systematic review since 1990.
To estimate the pooled PDRs (preventable death rates) with articles being published since 1990, and compare the differences of PDRs over time and according to the evaluation approaches to determine preventable deaths. ⋯ This article provided some insights about the trauma care system by computing the pooled estimate of PDRs over the past 23 years as an indicator. The pooled PDR was estimated as approximately 20 %, with no statistical significance of differences in PDRs over time or by the evaluation methods employed. That left us still room for improvement in trauma care system despite our efforts to reduce PDRs. In addition, when 'statistical approaches' are applied alone to estimate PDRs, we recommend that statistical methods should be applied with caution when the characteristics of trauma patients are heterogeneous. The optimal approach might be to combine both statistical and panel review approaches instead of employing a single approach.
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Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg · Jun 2014
Trauma care in Scotland: effect of rurality on ambulance travel times and level of destination healthcare facility.
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of rurality on the level of destination healthcare facility and ambulance response times for trauma patients in Scotland. ⋯ Trauma is relatively rare in rural areas, but patients injured in remote locations are doubly disadvantaged by prolonged pre-hospital times and admission to a hospital that may not be adequately equipped to deal with their injuries. These problems may be overcome by the regionalisation of trauma care, and enhanced retrieval capability.
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Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg · Jun 2014
A holistic hip fracture approach: individualized diagnosis and treatment after surgery.
Secondary fracture prevention is of paramount importance in the clinical management of patients with hip fractures. However, in contrast to the excellent surgical care provided to these patients in the Western hemisphere and despite good medical options, causative treatment of the underlying osteopathy causing skeletal fragility remains an unmet medical need that urgently needs to be improved. This calls for a concerted action between orthopedic/trauma surgeons and osteologists, as outstanding hospitals not only treat fragility fractures, but also prevent fractures from recurring. Aiming for a holistic hip fracture approach, in this work we highlight aspects of (a) improved risk assessment and differential diagnosis, (b) optimized basic medical care, and
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Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg · Jun 2014
Incidence and characteristics of distal radial fractures in an urban population in The Netherlands.
The increasing incidence of distal radius fracture is thought to be due to the aging population. Surprisingly, some authors have reported a decrease in the incidence of distal radius fracture. Moreover, the type-specific incidence of distal radial fracture classified according to fracture severity is not well documented. ⋯ This incidence increases with age for both women and men. A lower incidence rate among women 50-79 years of age was found than previously reported, which may indicate a declining incidence in this age group. Extra-articular AO type A fractures were the most common fracture types.