Articles: trauma.
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Therapeutic hypothermia has been shown to be effective in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, and use of this therapy has been expanded to involve in-hospital cardiac arrest. The utility of hypothermia in cardiac arrest after hemorrhage is not known. ⋯ Therapeutic hypothermia by surface cooling was initiated after acute control of the bleeding source, restoration of circulating blood volume, and hemodynamic stabilization. We believe therapeutic hypothermia use will continue to increase for in-hospital cardiac arrests.
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The liver is the second most commonly injured organ following blunt abdominal trauma. The stable patient with minimal physical findings with a history of blunt abdominal trauma presents a challenge for diagnosis of liver injury. This study was conducted to determine the usefulness of hepatic transaminases in predicting the presence of liver injury and its severity following blunt abdominal trauma. ⋯ None of the laboratory tests were related to the severity of the liver injuries. In patients with blunt abdominal trauma, abnormal hepatic transaminase levels are associated with liver injuries. Patients with ALT >57 U/l and AST >113 U/l are strongly associated with liver injury and require further imaging studies and close management.