Utility of Prophylactic Antibiotics in Nonoperative Facial Fractures.

Facial fractures are commonly managed nonoperatively. Patients with facial fractures involving sinus cavities commonly receive 7 to 10 days of prophylactic antibiotics, yet no literature exists to support or refute this practice. The aim of this study was to compare the administration and duration of antibiotic prophylaxis on the incidence of soft tissue infection in nonoperative facial fractures. A total number of 289 patients who were admitted to our level I trauma center with nonoperative facial fractures from the beginning of 2012 to the end of 2014 were studied. Patients were categorized into 3 groups: no antibiotic prophylaxis, short-term antibiotic prophylaxis (1-5 days), and long-term antibiotic prophylaxis (>5 days). The primary outcome was the incidence of facial soft tissue infection and Clostridium difficile colitis. Fifty patients received no antibiotic prophylaxis. Sixty-three patients completed a short course of antibiotic prophylaxis and 176 patients received long-term antibiotics. Ampicillin/sulbactam, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, or a combination of both were used in 216 patients. Twenty-three patients received clindamycin due to penicillin allergy. Short and long courses of antibiotic prophylaxis were administered more commonly in patients with concomitant maxillary and orbital fractures (P <0.0001). No mortality was found in any group. Soft tissue infection was not identified in any patient. C. difficile colitis was identified in 1 patient who had received a long course of antibiotic prophylaxis (P = 0.7246). There was no difference in the outcome of patients receiving short-term, long-term, and no antibiotic prophylaxis. Prospective randomized studies are needed to provide further clinical recommendations.

Discovering Healthcare Missions: Nurse on a Mission: A Journey Toward Spiritual Caring.

Embarking on a pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, to serve as a nurse, I believed I failed because my experience wasn't clinical. On a second mission trip to Lourdes, learning ways to spiritually connect with clients transformed my definition of nursing care and understanding of what gifts I can offer in service to others.

The Effect of Interhospital Transfers on the Outcome of Rural Trauma.

Urban areas house the majority of the population in the United States but trauma deaths occur more commonly in rural areas. In this study, we aimed to investigate if direct patient admission to a Level I trauma center improves outcomes in rural trauma. We retrospectively reviewed data in our trauma database from January 2008 to the end of December 2012 to compare the overall outcomes between direct admissions (DAs) and interhospital transfers (IHTs). Of the 6118 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 59.5 per cent were in the DA group and 40.5 per cent in the IHT group. Injury severity score was similar between the two groups but severe traumatic brain injury was more common (P = 0.001) in the DA group. Hospital length of stay, complication rate, and in-hospital mortality were not different between the two groups (all P> 0.2). In multivariate analysis, there was no difference in survival between the two modes of admission (odds ratio, 95% confidence interval: 0.91, 0.69-1.20, P = 0.51). We concluded that rural trauma IHTs had no detrimental impact on the outcome. Prospective studies would better elucidate factors associated with patient outcomes in rural trauma.

The Effect of Sarcopenia on Outcomes in Geriatric Blunt Trauma.

Elderly patients are at a higher risk of morbidity and mortality after trauma, which is reflected through higher frailty indices. Data collection using existing frailty indices is often not possible because of brain injury, dementia, or inability to communicate with the patient. Sarcopenia is a reliable objective measure for frailty that can be readily assessed in CT imaging. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of sarcopenia on the outcomes of geriatric blunt trauma patients. Left psoas area (LPA) was measured at the level of the third lumbar vertebra on the axial CT images. LPA was normalized for height (LPA mm2/m2) and after stratification by gender, sarcopenia was defined as LPA measurements in the lowest quartile. A total of 1175 patients consisting of 597 males and 578 females were studied. LPAs below 242.6 mm2/m2 in males and below 187.8 mm2/m2 in females were considered to be sarcopenic. We found sarcopenia in 149 males and 145 females. In multivariate analysis, sarcopenia was associated with a higher risk of in-hospital mortality (odds ratio [OR]: 1.61, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.01-2.56) and a higher risk of discharge to less favorable destinations (OR: 1.42, 95% CI: 1.05-1.97). Lastly, sarcopenic patients had an increased risk of prolonged hospitalization (hazard ratio: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.04-1.40).

Changes in rural trauma prehospital times following the Rural Trauma Team Development Course training.

BACKGROUND: The majority of the US population live in urban areas, yet more than half of all trauma deaths occur in rural areas. The Rural Trauma Team Development Course (RTTDC) is developed to improve the outcomes of rural trauma and we aimed to study its effect on patient transfer. METHODS: Trauma referrals 2 years before the RTTDC training were compared with referrals 2 years after the course. RESULTS: Of the 276 studied patients, 97 were referred before the RTTDC training and 179 patients were referred after the course. Transfer acceptance time was significantly shorter after the RTTDC training (139.2 ± 87.1 vs 110 ± 66.3 min, P = .003). The overall transfer time was also significantly reduced following the RTTDC training (257.4 ± 110.8 vs 219.2 ± 86.5 min, P = .002). Patients receiving pretransfer imaging had a significantly higher transfer time both before and after RTTDC training (all Ps < .01). Mortality was nearly halved (6.2% vs 3.4%) after the RTTDC training. CONCLUSION: The RTTDC training was associated with reduced transfer acceptance time and reduced transfer time.

Severe complicated Clostridium difficile infection: Can the UPMC proposed scoring system predict the need for surgery?

INTRODUCTION: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is one of the most common health care-associated infections, and it continues to have significant morbidity and mortality. The onset of fulminant colitis often requires total abdominal colectomy with ileostomy, which has a mortality rate of 35% to 57%. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) developed a scoring system for severity and recommended surgical consultation for severe complicated disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate if the UPMC-proposed scoring system for severe complicated CDI can predict the need for surgical intervention. METHODS: This is a retrospective review of all patients who developed severe complicated CDI at Geisinger Medical Center between January 2007 and December 2012 as defined by the UPMC scoring system. Main outcomes were the need for surgical intervention and 30-day mortality. RESULTS: Eighty-eight patients had severe complicated CDI based on the UPMC scoring system. Fifty-nine patients (67%) required surgery and 29 did not. All patients had a diagnosis of CDI as shown by positive toxin assays. There was no difference between the groups with respect to age, sex, body mass index, or comorbidities. When comparing the surgical group to the nonsurgical cohort, the surgical cohort averaged 20 points on the scoring system compared to 9 in the nonoperative cohort. In patients with severe complicated CDI, 15 or more points predicted the need for surgery 75% of the time. Forty-two percent of the surgical cohort had respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation compared to 0% in the nonsurgical cohort (p < 0.0001). Forty-nine percent of the surgical cohort required vasopressors for septic shock before surgery compared to 0% in the nonsurgical cohort (p < 0.0001). Acute kidney injury was present in 92% of the surgical cohort versus 72% within the nonsurgical cohort (p = 0.026). Seventy-six percent of the surgical patients were admitted to the ICU before surgery. Within the nonsurgical cohort, only 24% of patients required ICU stay during admission. Overall, 30-day mortality in the surgical cohort was 30%, and there was no mortality in the nonsurgical cohort. CONCLUSIONS: The UPMC scoring system for severe complicated CDI can help us predict patients who need a surgical consult and the need for surgical intervention. In patients with severe complicated CDI, evidence of end-organ failure predicts surgical intervention. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Prognostic study, level III; therapeutic study, level IV.