Timing of surgical intervention after firearm-related spinal cord injury.

CONTEXT: Surgical management of firearm-related spinal cord injury (SCI) remains controversial, and there are no clear guidelines. Time to surgery, surgical indications, and patient characteristics on initial presentation in this group are not well understood, and these factors may impact the potential for neurologic recovery after operative intervention. OBJECTIVE: To understand the timing and factors affecting the timing of operative intervention after firearm-related SCI. METHODS: In a retrospective cohort study, patients with traumatic SCI from July 2012 to July 2022 (n = 1569) were identified from our level 1 trauma center Trauma Registry. Data was obtained from the trauma registry and chart review. Rates and timing of surgical intervention, initial injury severity measures, and general hospital outcomes were compared between firearm-related SCI and blunt trauma SCI. RESULTS: Patients with firearm-related SCI were less likely to undergo surgery compared to other etiologies (24.3% vs. 70.2%, P < 0.0001). Time to surgery for firearm-related SCI was longer than for other etiologies (49.2 ± 92.9 vs. 30.6 h ± 46.0, P = 0.012). Multiple measures of initial injury severity, including Injury Severity Score, Glasgow Coma Score, and emergency department disposition demonstrated more severe injury among patients with firearm-related SCI, and these patients often required other emergent surgeries prior to spine surgery (52%). CONCLUSIONS: There was a longer time to spine surgery among patients with firearm-related SCI compared to blunt trauma SCI, and patients with firearm-related SCI were more severely injured on initial presentation. Further research is needed to understand the complex relationship between patient injury severity, surgical intervention, surgical timing, and outcomes after firearm-related SCI.

The Use and Impact of a Decision Support Tool for Appendicitis Treatment.

OBJECTIVE: Since introducing new and alternative treatment options may increase decisional conflict, we aimed to describe the use of the decision support tool (DST) and its impact on treatment preference and decisional conflict. BACKGROUND: For the treatment of appendicitis, antibiotics are an effective alternative to appendectomy, with both approaches associated with a different set of risks (eg, recurrence vs surgical complications) and benefits (eg, more rapid return to work vs decreased chance of readmission). Patients often have limited knowledge of these treatment options, and DSTs that include video-based educational materials and questions to elicit patient preferences about outcomes may be helpful. Concurrent with the Comparing Outcomes of Drugs and Appendectomy trials, our group developed a DST for appendicitis treatment ( www.appyornot.org ). METHODS: A retrospective cohort including people who self-reported current appendicitis and used the AppyOrNot DST between 2021 and 2023. Treatment preferences before and after the use of the DST, demographic information, and Ottawa Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS) were reported after completing the DST. RESULTS: A total of 8243 people from 66 countries and all 50 U.S. states accessed the DST. Before the DST, 14% had a strong preference for antibiotics and 31% for appendectomy, with 55% undecided. After using the DST, the proportion in the undecided category decreased to 49% ( P < 0.0001). Of those who completed the Ottawa Decisional Conflict Score (DCS; n = 356), 52% reported the lowest level of decisional conflict (<25) after using the DST; 43% had a DCS score of 25 to 50, 5.1% had a DCS score of >50 and 2.5% had and DCS score of >75. CONCLUSIONS: The publicly available DST appyornot.org reduced the proportion that was undecided about which treatment they favored and had a modest influence on those with strong treatment preferences. Decisional conflict was not common after use. The use of this DST is now a component of a nationwide implementation program aimed at improving the way surgeons share information about appendicitis treatment options. If its use can be successfully implemented, this may be a model for improving communication about treatment for patients experiencing emergency health conditions.

Codeveloping theories of change for improved community-based violence intervention evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Community-based violence intervention (CVI) programs are considered important strategies for preventing community violence and promoting health and safety. Mixed and inconclusive results from some prior CVI evaluations, as well as our general lack of understanding about the reasons for such varied findings, may be explained in part by misalignment of program theories of change and evaluation measures. Furthermore, most prior evaluations have focused solely on deficit-based outcomes; this narrow focus is inconsistent with the premise of CVI and may fail to capture improvements in health and well-being that are on the hypothesized pathway from intervention to violence reduction. METHODS: This article describes the process and results of codeveloping a theory of change for community-based youth firearm violence intervention and prevention programs in Washington state through a community-researcher partnership. We followed a multistep iterative process, involving (1) CVI program documentation review, (2) individual meetings, and (3) a day-long workshop. RESULTS: The theory of change included six key domains: (1) root causes, (2) promotive factors, (3) activities, (4) intermediate outcomes, (5) longer-term outcomes, and (6) multilevel context (youth/family, staff/organizational, community, and societal). Root causes were social and structural drivers of community violence. Promotive factors were assets and resources among the community, youth/their families, and community organizations that promote health and safety. Activities were supports and services the program provided to youth and their families, staff, and, potentially, the broader community. Intermediate and longer-term outcomes were the changes among youth, their families, staff, and the community that resulted from program activities. Intermediate outcomes may be felt within 6 months to 1 year, and longer-term outcomes may be felt after 1 to 2 years and beyond. CONCLUSION: The theory of change we codeveloped provides a common lens to conceptualize, compare, and evaluate CVI programs in Washington state and may support more rigorous and equity-centered evaluations. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Diagnostic Test/Criteria; Level V.

Modification of Firearm Law-Firearm Injury Association by Economic Disadvantage.

INTRODUCTION: Firearm-related injuries in the U.S. have risen 37% since 2015. Understanding how the association between firearm incidents and state-level firearm restrictiveness is modified by community-level distress and economic connectedness (EC) may inform upstream injury prevention efforts. METHODS: A national cross-sectional study of firearm incidents (interpersonal and unintentional firearm events) occurring between 1/2015 and 12/2021 was performed using the Gun Violence Archive. The exposures were community distress (Distressed Communities Index, DCI), EC, and year-state-level firearm restrictiveness. The primary outcome was mean annual urban firearm incidence rate per ZIP Code Tabulation Area. Generalized linear mixed models were fit to evaluate the modification of the firearm law-firearm incident association by DCI and EC. Data analyses took place in 2022. RESULTS: About 266,020 firearm incidents were included. The mean rate was higher with each DCI tertile, with a RR of 3.18 (95% CI: 3.06, 3.30) in high versus low distress communities. Low EC was associated with over 1.8 times greater rate of firearm-related injury. The least restrictive firearm laws were associated with 1.20 times higher risk of firearm incidents (95% CI: 1.12, 1.28). The association between restrictive laws and lower incidence rates was strongest in low and medium distress and high EC communities. CONCLUSIONS: Stricter firearm laws are associated with lower rate of firearm incidents. The magnitude of this association is smallest for communities experiencing the greatest economic disadvantage.

Utilization of rehabilitation services in violent versus nonviolent traumatic spinal cord injury.

BACKGROUND: Violence is the third leading cause of spinal cord injury (SCI) in the United States, and people with violence-related SCI have worse long-term outcomes compared to other traumatic SCI etiologies. Little is known, however, about the underlying reasons for these differences. Access to and utilization of rehabilitation services may differ in this population, but their outpatient care has not been previously investigated. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate differences in utilization patterns of outpatient rehabilitation services between people with violence-related SCI and other traumatic SCI etiologies. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Academic tertiary care hospital system. PATIENTS: A total of 41 patients with violence-related SCI residing in King County at the time of injury who completed inpatient rehabilitation (IPR) in our institution were identified from the hospital trauma registry and matched with 41 control patients with nonviolent traumatic SCI. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The number of appointments attended, canceled, and missed during the first year after discharge from IPR were obtained by chart review for physical medicine & rehabilitation (PM&R) physicians and therapy services. RESULTS: People with violence-related SCI had decreased follow-up with outpatient rehabilitation services after IPR discharge compared to non-violent traumatic SCI, including PM&R (2.50 ± 2.44 vs. 3.76 ± 2.21 visits, ß = -1.28, p = .017), physical therapy (8.91 ± 11.02 vs. 17.57 ± 15.26, ß = -9.79, p = .009), occupational therapy (4.28 ± 7.90 vs. 10.04 ± 14.42, ß = -6.18, p = .033), and recreational therapy (0.293 ± 0.955 vs. 1.37 ± 2.86, ß = -1.07, p = .035). The rate of missed appointments was also higher among people with violence-related SCI compared to controls for PM&R (25.2% ± 28.5% vs. 9.9% ± 16.5%, ß = 14.6%, p = .014) and physical therapy (26.0% ± 32.0% vs 4.2% ± 13.2%, ß = 22.1%, p = .009). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with violence-related SCI had fewer follow-up appointments with PM&R physicians and other allied health professionals and were more likely to miss scheduled appointments compared to other traumatic SCI etiologies. Decreased outpatient follow-up may affect long-term outcomes for people with violence-related SCI.

Community-Level Social Vulnerability and Patterns of Adolescent Injury.

Objective: To describe adolescent injuries by the community-level social vulnerability, focusing on injuries related to interpersonal violence. Background: The Center for Disease Control and Prevention's social vulnerability index (SVI) is a tool used to characterize community-level vulnerability. Methods: Injured adolescent trauma patients (13-17 years old) cared for at a large Level I trauma center over a 10-year period were identified. Injuries were classified by intent as either intentional or unintentional. Census tract level SVI was calculated by composite score and for 4 subindex scores (socioeconomic, household composition/disability, minority/language, housing type/transportation). Patients were stratified by SVI quartile with the lowest quartile designated as low-, the middle two quartiles as average-, and the highest quartile as high vulnerability. The primary outcome was odds of intentional injury. Demographic and injury characteristics were compared by SVI and intent. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the adjusted odds of intentional injury associated with SVI. Results: A total of 1993 injured adolescent patients (1676 unintentional and 317 intentional) were included. The composite SVI was higher in the intentional injury cohort (mean, SD: 66.7, 27.8 vs. 50.5, 30.2; P < 0.001) as was each subindex SVI. The high SVI cohort comprised 31% of the study population, 49% of intentional injuries, and 51% of deaths. The high SVI cohort had significantly increased unadjusted (odds ratio, 4.5; 95% confidence interval, 3.0-6.6) and adjusted (odds ratio, 1.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.6-2.8) odds of intentional injury. Conclusions: Adolescents living in the highest SVI areas experience significantly higher odds of intentional injury. SVI and SVI subindex details may provide direction for community-level interventions to decrease the impact of violent injury among adolescents.

Injury-related emergency department visits and unplanned readmissions are associated with worse long-term mental and physical health.

BACKGROUND: The risk factors for unplanned emergency department (ED) visits and readmission after injury and the impact of these unplanned visits on long-term outcomes are not well understood. We aim to: 1) describe the incidence of and risk factors for injury-related ED visits and unplanned readmissions following injury and, 2) explore the relationship between these unplanned visits and mental and physical health outcomes 6-12 months post-injury. METHODS: Trauma patients with moderate-to-severe injury admitted to one of three Level-I trauma centers were asked to complete a phone survey to assess mental and physical health outcomes at 6-12 months. Patient reported data on injury-related ED visits and readmissions was collected. Multivariable regression analyses were performed controlling for sociodemographic and clinical variables to compare subgroups. RESULTS: Of 7,781 eligible patients, 4675 were contacted and 3,147 completed the survey and were included in the analysis. 194 (6.2%) reported an unplanned injury-related ED visit and 239 (7.6%) reported an injury-related readmission. Risk factors for injury-related ED visits included: younger age, Black race, a lower level of education, Medicaid insurance, baseline psychiatric or substance abuse disorder and penetrating mechanism. Risk factors for unplanned injury-related readmission included younger age, male sex, Medicaid insurance, substance abuse disorder, greater injury severity and penetrating mechanism of injury. Injury-related ED visits and readmissions were associated with significantly higher rates of PTSD, chronic pain and new injury-related functional limitations in addition to lower SF-12 mental and physical composite scores. CONCLUSIONS: Injury-related ED visits and unplanned readmissions are common after hospital discharge following treatment of moderate-severe injury and are associated with worse mental and physical health outcomes.

The association between childhood opportunity index and pediatric hospitalization for firearm injury or motor vehicle crash.

BACKGROUND: Community-level factors can profoundly impact children's health, including the risk of violent injury. This study's objective was to understand the relationship between the Childhood Opportunity Index and pediatric firearm injury owing to interpersonal violence compared with a motor vehicle crash. METHODS: All pediatric patients (<18 years) who presented with an initial encounter with a firearm injury or motor vehicle crash between 2016 to 2021 were identified from 35 children's hospitals included in the Pediatric Health Information System database. The child-specific community-level vulnerability was determined by the Childhood Opportunity Index, a composite score of neighborhood opportunity level data specific to pediatric populations. RESULTS: We identified 67,407 patients treated for injuries related to motor vehicle crashes (n = 61,527) or firearms (n = 5,880). The overall cohort had a mean age of 9.3 (standard deviation 5.4) years; 50.0% were male patients, 44.0% non-Hispanic Black, and were 60.8% publicly insured. Compared with motor vehicle crash injuries, patients with firearm-related injuries were older (12.2 vs 9.0 years), more likely to be male patients (77.7% vs 47.4%), non-Hispanic Black (63.5% vs 42.1%), and had public insurance (76.4 vs 59.3%; all P < .001). In multivariable analysis, children living in communities with lower Childhood Opportunity Index levels were more likely to present with firearm injury than those living in communities with a very high Childhood Opportunity Index. The odds increased as the Childhood Opportunity Index level decreased (odds ratio 1.33, 1.60, 1.73, 2.00 for high, moderate, low, and very low Childhood Opportunity Index, respectively; all P ≤ .001). CONCLUSION: Children from lower-Childhood Opportunity Index communities are disproportionately impacted by firearm violence, and these findings have important implications for both clinical care and public health policy.

Association of Community Vulnerability and State Gun Laws With Firearm Deaths in Children and Adolescents Aged 10 to 19 Years.

Importance: Firearm-related injuries are the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the US. For youths aged 10 to 19 years, 64% of firearm-related deaths are due to assault. Understanding the association between the rate of death due to assault-related firearm injury and both community-level vulnerability and state-level gun laws may inform prevention efforts and public health policy. Objective: To assess the rate of death due to assault-related firearm injury stratified by community-level social vulnerability and state-level gun laws in a national cohort of youths aged 10 to 19 years. Design, Setting, and Participants: This national cross-sectional study used the Gun Violence Archive to identify all assault-related firearm deaths among youths aged 10 to 19 years occurring in the US between January 1, 2020, and June 30, 2022. Exposure: Census tract-level social vulnerability (measured by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention social vulnerability index [SVI]; categorized in quartiles as low [<25th percentile], moderate [25th-50th percentile], high [51st-75th percentile], or very high [>75th percentile]) and state-level gun laws (measured by the Giffords Law Center gun law scorecard rating; categorized as restrictive, moderate, or permissive). Main Outcomes and Measures: Youth death rate (per 100 000 person-years) due to assault-related firearm injury. Results: Among 5813 youths aged 10 to 19 years who died of an assault-related firearm injury over the 2.5-year study period, the mean (SD) age was 17.1 (1.9) years, and 4979 (85.7%) were male. The death rate per 100 000 person-years in the low SVI cohort was 1.2 compared with 2.5 in the moderate SVI cohort, 5.2 in the high SVI cohort, and 13.3 in the very high SVI cohort. The mortality rate ratio of the very high SVI cohort compared with the low SVI cohort was 11.43 (95% CI, 10.17-12.88). When further stratifying deaths by the Giffords Law Center state-level gun law scorecard rating, the stepwise increase in death rate (per 100 000 person-years) with increasing SVI persisted, regardless of whether the Census tract was in a state with restrictive gun laws (0.83 in the low SVI cohort vs 10.11 in the very high SVI cohort), moderate gun laws (0.81 in the low SVI cohort vs 13.18 in the very high SVI cohort), or permissive gun laws (1.68 in the low SVI cohort vs 16.03 in the very high SVI cohort). The death rate per 100 000 person-years was higher for each SVI category in states with permissive compared with restrictive gun laws (eg, moderate SVI: 3.37 vs 1.71; high SVI: 6.33 vs 3.78). Conclusions and Relevance: In this study, socially vulnerable communities in the US experienced a disproportionate number of assault-related firearm deaths among youths. Although stricter gun laws were associated with lower death rates in all communities, these gun laws did not equalize the consequences on a relative scale, and disadvantaged communities remained disproportionately impacted. While legislation is necessary, it may not be sufficient to solve the problem of assault-related firearm deaths among children and adolescents.

Patterns in Location of Death From Firearm Injury in the US.

This cross-sectional study assesses non­self-inflicted firearm-related deaths occurring at inpatient or outpatient facilities, hospice care, nursing homes, home, or other settings from 1999 to 2021.

Interpersonal violence affecting the pediatric population: Patterns of injury and recidivism.

PURPOSE: We aim to describe interpersonal violence-related injury patterns in the pediatric trauma population and to identify predictors of recidivism. METHODS: In this retrospective analysis from a single institution, we included pediatric patients (≤17 years) treated (2006-2020) for traumatic injury related to interpersonal violence (IPV). Patient characteristics were compared among mechanism types and between recidivists and non recidivists using two sample t-tests, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, and Pearson's chi-squared. Multivariate analysis was performed using logistic regression to identify predictors of repeat injury. RESULTS: We identified 635 pediatric patients who sustained injuries owning to IPV: firearm (N = 266), assault (stab/blunt; N = 243), and abuse (N = 126). The average age of the firearm, assault, and abuse groups was 15.5, 14.7, and 1.1 years (SD = 2.2, 3.4, 2.4 years), respectively. Majority of the overall cohort was male (77.5%) and publicly- or un insured (67.8%), with 28.0% being Black. Of the 489 firearm and assault patients who survived the first injury, 30 (6.1%) had repeat injury owning to IPV requiring treatment at our center with a median time of 40 months (IQR 17-62 months) between first and second injury. The majority of recidivists (83.3%) were victims of gun violence whereas the distribution between assault and firearm in the non recidivists was more even at 51 and 49%, respectively (p < 0.001). Eighteen (60.0%) of the recidivist patients had the same mechanism between the first and second injury. In the logistic regression analysis, Black race and firearm injury were associated with greater than 3-fold higher likelihood of repeat injury compared to white race after adjusting for age, sex, insurance, and child opportunity index. CONCLUSIONS: We found that survivors of firearm injuries and assault comprise a vulnerable patient cohort at risk for repeat injury, and Black race is an independent predictor of repeat injury owning to IPV. These findings provide guidance for developing violence prevention programs. TYPE OF STUDY: Retrospective Comparative Study LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

The variation of opioid prescription after injury and its association with long-term chronic pain: A multicenter cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Opioid overprescription in trauma contributes to the opioid epidemic through diversion of unused pills. Through our study, we sought to do the following: (1) understand the variation in opioid prescription after injury and its relationship to patient and/or clinical variables, and (2) study the relationship between opioid prescribing and long-term pain and analgesic use. METHOD: Trauma patients with an injury severity score ≥9 admitted to 3 level 1 trauma centers were screened for chronic pain and analgesic use 6 to 12 months postinjury. First, multivariable linear regression models were constructed with "oral morphine equivalents" and "number of opioid pills prescribed" at discharge as dependent variables. The coefficients of determination were calculated to determine how much of the variation in opioid prescription was explained by patient and clinical variables. Second, a multivariable logistic regression analysis was created to study the association between opioid prescription at discharge and chronic pain/analgesic use at 6 to 12 months. Analyses were adjusted for patient demographics, socioeconomics, comorbidities, injury parameters, and hospital course. RESULTS: Of the 2,702 patients included (mean [standard deviation] age: 61.0 [21.5]; 55% males), 74% were prescribed opioids at discharge (mean number of pills [standard deviation]: 24.0 [26.5]; mean oral morphine equivalent [standard deviation]: 204.8 [348.1]). The adjusted coefficients of determination for oral morphine equivalents and number of pills was 0.12 and 0.21, respectively, suggesting that the measured patient and clinical factors explain <21% of the variation in opioid prescribing in trauma. Patients prescribed opioids were more likely to have chronic pain (odds ratio [95%] confidence interval: 1.34 [1.05-1.71]) and use analgesics daily (odds ratio [95%] confidence interval: 1.86 [1.25-2.77]) 6 to 12 months postinjury. CONCLUSION: The variation in opioid prescription after traumatic injury is more affected by system and provider level rather than clinical or patient-related factors, and opioid prescribing correlates independently with long-term chronic pain and continued analgesic use postinjury. Efforts to decrease opioid use should prioritize standardizing prescription practices after traumatic injury.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and alcohol and drug use comorbidity at 25 US level I trauma centers.

Background: Questions regarding the extent to which post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is comorbid with alcohol and drug use are particularly germane in an era when the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma (ACS-COT) is considering policy requiring screening, intervention and/or referral services for patients presenting with psychological sequalae of traumatic injury. Literature review revealed few multisite trauma-center-based investigations that have assessed the association between PTSD symptoms and alcohol and drug use comorbidities in injured patients. Methods: This investigation was a secondary analysis of baseline data collected prior to randomization in a 25-site trauma center pragmatic clinical trial. All 635 patients included in the investigation had elevated PTSD symptom levels at the time of trauma center admission. Self-report questionnaire screening, laboratory toxicology results, and electronic health record data were combined to assess the frequencies of alcohol, stimulant (i.e., amphetamine and cocaine), opioid and marijuana use comorbidities for injured patients. Logistic regression was used to assess the associations between demographic and injury characteristics and alcohol and drug use comorbidity. Results: The frequency of patients with one or more alcohol or substance use comorbidity was between 62% and 79%. Over 50% of patients were positive for one or more alcohol or cannabis comorbidity. Approximately 26% of patients were positive for stimulants and 10% for opioid comorbidity. Discussion: This multisite investigation suggests that between 62% and 79% of hospitalized injury survivors with elevated PTSD symptoms have one or more alcohol or drug use comorbidity. Orchestrated ACS-COT policy and trauma center service delivery development should incorporate the key finding that a substantial majority of patients with high levels of psychological distress (eg, elevated PTSD symptoms) may have alcohol and drug use comorbidities. Level of evidence: Level II (epidemiological investigation of untreated controls from a multisite randomized clinical trial). Trial registration number: NCT02655354.

The Social Vulnerability Index and Long-term Outcomes After Traumatic Injury.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) as a predictor of long-term outcomes after injury. BACKGROUND: The SVI is a measure used in emergency preparedness to identify need for resources in the event of a disaster or hazardous event, ranking each census tract on 15 demographic/social factors. METHODS: Moderate-severely injured adult patients treated at 1 of 3 level-1 trauma centers were prospectively followed 6 to 14 months post-injury. These data were matched at the census tract level with overall SVI percentile rankings. Patients were stratified based on SVI quartiles, with the lowest quartile designated as low SVI, the middle 2 quartiles as average SVI, and the highest quartile as high SVI. Multivariable adjusted regression models were used to assess whether SVI was associated with long-term outcomes after injury. RESULTS: A total of 3153 patients were included [54% male, mean age 61.6 (SD = 21.6)]. The median overall SVI percentile rank was 35th (IQR: 16th-65th). compared to low SVI patients, high SVI patients were more likely to have new functional limitations [odds ratio (OR), 1.51; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.19-1.92), to not have returned to work (OR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.40-2.89), and to screen positive for post-traumatic stress disorder (OR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.12-2.17). Similar results were obtained when comparing average with low SVI patients, with average SVI patients having significantly worse outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: The SVI has potential utility in predicting individuals at higher risk for adverse long-term outcomes after injury. This measure may be a useful needs assessment tool for clinicians and researchers in identifying communities that may benefit most from targeted prevention and intervention efforts.

Perceived Socioeconomic Status: A Strong Predictor of Long-Term Outcomes After Injury.

BACKGROUND: Socioeconomic status (SES) is defined as a total measure of an individual's economic or social position in relation to others. Income and educational level are often used as quantifiable objective measures of SES but are inherently limited. Perceived SES (p-SES), refers to an individual's perception of their own SES. Herein, we assess the correlation between objective SES (o-SES) as defined by income and educational level and p-SES after injury and compare their associations with long-term outcomes after injury. METHODS: Moderate-to-severely injured patients admitted to a Level 1 trauma center were asked to complete a phone-based survey assessing functional and mental health outcomes, social dysfunction, chronic pain, and return to work/school 6-12 mo postinjury. o-SES was determined by income and educational level (low educational level: high school or lower; low income: live in zip code with median income/household lower than the national median). p-SES was determined by asking patients to categorize their SES. The correlation coefficient between o-SES and p-SES was calculated. Multivariate logistic regression models were built to determine the associations between o-SES and p-SES and long-term outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 729 patients were included in this study. Patients who reported a low p-SES were younger, more likely to suffer penetrating injuries, and to have a weak social support network. Twenty-one percent of patients with high income and high educational level classified their p-SES as low or mid-low, and conversely, 46% of patients with low education and low income classified their p-SES as high or mid-high. The correlation coefficient between p-SES and o-SES was 0.2513. After adjusting for confounders, p-SES was a stronger predictor of long-term outcomes, including functional limitations, social dysfunction, mental health outcomes, return to work/school, and chronic pain than was o-SES. CONCLUSIONS: Patient-reported p-SES correlates poorly with o-SES indicating that the commonly used calculation of income and education may not accurately capture an individuals' SES. Furthermore, we found p-SES to be more strongly correlated with long-term outcome measures than o-SES. As we strive to improve long-term outcomes after injury, p-SES may be an important variable in the early identification of individuals who are likely to suffer from worse long-term outcomes after injury.

Nationwide Survey of Trauma Center Screening and Intervention Practices for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Firearm Violence, Mental Health, and Substance Use Disorders.

BACKGROUND: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, firearm violence events, alcohol and drug use problems, and major depression and suicidal ideation are endemic among patients admitted to US trauma centers. Despite increasing policy importance, the current availability of screening and intervention services for this constellation of conditions in US trauma centers is unknown. STUDY DESIGN: Trauma program staff at all Level I and Level II trauma centers in the US. (N = 627) were contacted to complete a survey describing screening and intervention procedures for alcohol and drug use problems, PTSD symptoms, depression and suicidality, and firearm violence. Additional questions asked trauma centers about the delivery of peer interventions and information technology capacity for screening and intervention procedures. RESULTS: Fifty-one percent of trauma centers (n = 322) responded to the survey. More than 95% of responding sites endorsed routinely screening and/or intervening for alcohol use problems. Routine services addressing PTSD were less common, with 28% of centers reporting routine screening. More than 50% of sites that screened for PTSD used previously established trauma center alcohol use services. Programmatic screening and intervention for firearm injury sequelae was occurring at 30% of sites. CONCLUSION: Alcohol screening and intervention is occurring frequently at US trauma centers and appears to be responsive to American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma verification requirements. Routine screening and intervention services for PTSD and firearm injury were occurring less frequently. Regular national surveys may be a key element of tracking progress in national mental health and substance use screening, intervention, and referral policy.

Child physical abuse and COVID-19: Trends from nine pediatric trauma centers.

BACKGROUND: Economic, social, and psychologic stressors are associated with an increased risk for abusive injuries in children. Prolonged physical proximity between adults and children under conditions of severe external stress, such as witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic with "shelter-in-place orders", may be associated with additional increased risk for child physical abuse. We hypothesized that child physical abuse rates and associated severity of injury would increase during the early months of the pandemic as compared to the prior benchmark period. METHODS: We conducted a nine-center retrospective review of suspected child physical abuse admissions across the Western Pediatric Surgery Research Consortium. Cases were identified for the period of April 1-June 30, 2020 (COVID-19) and compared to the identical period in 2019. We collected patient demographics, injury characteristics, and outcome data. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in child physical abuse cases between the time periods in the consortium as a whole or at individual hospitals. There were no differences between the study periods with regard to patient characteristics, injury types or severity, resource utilization, disposition, or mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Apparent rates of new injuries related to child physical abuse did not increase early in the COVID-19 pandemic. While this may suggest that pediatric physical abuse was not impacted by pandemic restrictions and stresses, it is possible that under-reporting, under-detection, or delays in presentation of abusive injuries increased during the pandemic. Long-term follow-up of subsequent rates and severity of child abuse is needed to assess for unrecognized injuries that may have occurred.

Adult survivors of moderate and great complexity congenital heart disease undergoing general surgery procedures: How do they fare?

BACKGROUND: Patients with complex congenital heart disease (CHD) are now commonly surviving well into adulthood. We describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes for a cohort of adult patients with moderate and great complexity CHD undergoing general surgery procedures. METHODS: The electronic records of two tertiary centers were queried to identify adult patients with moderate and great complexity CHD who underwent a general surgery procedure between 2007 and 2017. RESULTS: 118 adult patients were included in the analysis. The mean age was 36 ± 17 years and 49.2% were male. The most common cardiac diagnoses were pulmonary valve anomaly (24.6%), tetralogy of Fallot (18.6%), coarctation of the aorta (15.3%) and common/single ventricle (10.2%). The most common general surgery procedures performed were cholecystectomy (23.7%), herniorrhaphy (23.7%) and colorectal resection (9.3%). In-hospital mortality and morbidity were 2.5% and 11.9%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Adults survivors of moderate and great complexity CHD undergoing common general surgery procedures in this study experienced excellent in-hospital outcomes.