Approaches to Distal Upper-Extremity Trauma: A Comparison of Plastic, Orthopedic, and Hand Surgeons in Academic Practice.

BACKGROUND: Hand trauma call duties at university medical centers are traditionally split among plastic surgeons and orthopedic surgeons, frequently without additional fellowship training in hand and upper-extremity surgery. Differences in operative approach between these groups have never been specifically described. The University Health Consortium-Association of American Medical Colleges Faculty Practice Solutions Center database contains comprehensive, factual, billing and coding data from 90 academic medical centers in the United States and can be used to characterize the practice patterns of various academic surgical specialties. OBJECTIVE: To characterize and compare the clinical experience of academic plastic, orthopedic, and hand surgeons in addressing traumatic distal upper extremity injuries (using the Faculty Practice Solutions Center data set). METHODS: Annual data for CPT defined procedures related to traumatic injuries of the nail bed, finger, hand, wrist, and forearm performed by plastic, orthopedic, and hand surgeons during calendar years 2010 to 2013 were included in the study. RESULTS: From 2010 to 2013, the experience of fellowship-trained hand surgeons in treating traumatic distal upper extremity injuries was consistently greater than that of plastic surgeons and general orthopedic surgeons across all categories. Injuries of the nail bed were repaired more frequently by plastic surgeons than orthopedic surgeons (average 1.3 annual procedures per surgeon for plastic surgeons compared with 0.3 for orthopedic surgeons). Fractures and dislocations involving the phalanx and metacarpal were repaired equally by both groups, with plastic surgeons using predominantly percutaneous (38%) or open methods (45% of repairs), and orthopedic surgeons using mostly closed reduction (59% of repairs), splinting, and casting. Fractures and dislocations involving the carpal bones, radius, and ulna were more frequently repaired by orthopedic surgeons (average 23.2 procedures versus 2.6 for plastic surgeons), whereas tendon repairs in all segments were performed more frequently by plastic surgeons (average 13.7 procedures versus 2.5 for orthopedic surgeons). Replantation and repair of neurovascular injuries were exceedingly rare (less than 1 occurrence) in all groups for all years and are not specifically reported in Table 1. Similarly, incision and drainage procedures and decompressive fasciotomies of the distal upper extremity were uncommonly performed and also not included (Table 1 displays the mean annual procedures per surgeon by grouped CPT coded procedures, with overall averages displayed to the right. Figure 1 displays the proportions of intra-articular and extra-articular bony hand injuries treated by closed, open, and percutaneous methods by each specialty). CONCLUSIONS: A large degree of variation exists in the treatment of distal upper extremity injuries, based on specialty service. Hand surgeons, not surprisingly, have the most robust clinical experience, whereas plastic surgeons and orthopedic surgeons each display varying strengths and weaknesses, perhaps a consequence of their respective training.

Rise in microsurgical free-flap breast reconstruction in academic medical practices.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have examined national trends in breast reconstruction, using various data sets demonstrating increases in implant-based reconstruction and decreases in autologous reconstruction. However, academic breast reconstruction practices have never been specifically characterized. The University Health Consortium-Association of American Medical Colleges Faculty Practice Solutions Center database contains comprehensive, factual billing and coding data from 90 academic medical centers in the United States, and has been used to characterize practice patterns of various academic surgical specialties. OBJECTIVE: To describe breast reconstruction trends unique to academic surgical practices, using the Faculty Practice Solutions Center database. METHODS: Annual data for defined breast reconstruction procedures (current procedural terminology codes: 19340, 19342, 19357, 19361, 19364, 19366, 19367, 19369, and 19380) performed by university plastic surgeons during calendar years 2007 to 2013 were included in the study. RESULTS: From 2007 to 2013, a 2-fold increase in the number of breast reconstruction procedures was observed (from a mean of 45.3 to 94.2 procedures per surgeon). During this period, implant-based reconstructions and autologous reconstructions rose in tandem (28.9-44.6 and 11.4-19.3, respectively), with a preserved 2.5:1 ratio between the 2 categories each year. When compared to reconstructions overall, the proportion of both implant reconstruction and autologous reconstruction procedures declined, since revision and other types of reconstructions increased (11% of all reconstructions in 2007 vs 32% in 2013). With regard to autologous reconstruction, microsurgical free flaps (mostly comprised of deep inferior epigastric artery perforator flaps) have supplanted latissimus flaps as the favored modality and comprised 13% to 14% of breast reconstruction cases overall from 2011 to 2013. CONCLUSION: In contrast to national trends, university-based plastic surgeons are performing a growing number of microsurgical free flaps as the preferred method for autologous breast reconstruction. Whereas implant-based reconstructions still predominate in academic practices, the trend of increasing preference toward implant-based reconstructions has slowed in recent years and revision reconstructions are on the rise.

Nomograms to predict risk of in-hospital and post-discharge venous thromboembolism after abdominal and thoracic surgery: an American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program analysis.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative venous thromboembolism (VTE) is increasingly viewed as a quality of care metric, although risk-adjusted incident rates of postoperative VTE and VTE after hospital discharge (VTEDC) are not available. We sought to characterize the predictors of VTE and VTEDC to develop nomograms to estimate individual risk of VTE and VTEDC. METHODS: Using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database, we identified 471,867 patients who underwent inpatient abdominal or thoracic operations between 2005 and 2010. We excluded primary vascular and spine operations. We built logistic regression models using stepwise model selection and constructed nomograms for VTE and VTEDC with statistically significant covariates. RESULTS: The overall, unadjusted, 30-d incidence of VTE and VTEDC was 1.5% and 0.5%, respectively. Annual incidence rates remained unchanged over the study period. On multivariate analysis, age, body mass index, presence of preoperative infection, operation for cancer, procedure type (spleen highest), multivisceral resection, and non-bariatric laparoscopic surgery were significant predictors for VTE and VTEDC. Other significant predictors for VTE, but not VTEDC, included a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, disseminated cancer, and emergent operation. We constructed and validated nomograms by bootstrapping. The concordance indices for VTE and VTEDC were 0.77 and 0.67, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Substantial variation exists in the incidence of VTE and VTEDC, depending on patient and procedural factors. We constructed nomograms to predict individual risk of 30-d VTE and VTEDC. These may allow more targeted quality improvement interventions to reduce VTE and VTEDC in high-risk general and thoracic surgery patients.

Extremity soft tissue tumor surgery by surgical specialty: a comparison of case volume among oncology and non-oncology-designated surgeons.

INTRODUCTION: We sought to characterize the extent of extremity soft tissue tumor (ESTT) resections among surgical specialties, hypothesizing that substantial variation exists in the number of ESTT resections performed by specialty. METHODS: We queried the UHC-AAMC database for data from 85 institutions for years 2007-2009. We abstracted data on total number of musculoskeletal (MSK) procedures, number of subcutaneous (SQ), deep, and malignant ESTT resections, and anatomic site of resection. Data were available for 4,682 practitioners including the following specialties: general surgery (GS, N = 2,195), plastic surgery (PS, N = 792), surgical oncology (SO, N = 533), general orthopedics (GO, N = 1,079), and orthopedic oncology (OO, N = 83). RESULTS: The mean number of all MSK procedures performed per year was 19.0 ± 2.3 GS, 179.6 ± 3.0 PS, 32.4 ± 6.2 SO, 798.6 ± 115.4 GO, and 482.9 ± 6.5 OO (P = 0.001). SQ ESTT resections per year were similar among specialties (1.7 ± 0.3 GS, 2.7 ± 0.3 PS, 2.4 ± 0.4 SO, 1.7 ± 0.5 GO, 4.7 ± 0.2 OO), while deep and malignant resections were more likely performed by OO (combined deep and malignant: 0.9 ± 0.1 GS, 2.0 ± 0.4 PS, 9.9 ± 0.6 SO, 5.8 ± 0.3 GO, and 63.6 ± 8.1 OO, P = 0.001). Adjusting for number of physicians in the database, of the total deep and malignant ESTT resections, 9.4% were performed by GS, 7.7% by PS, 26.0% by SO, 30.8% by GO, and 26.0% by OO. CONCLUSION: Nearly 50% of deep and malignant ESTT resections are performed by non-oncology-designated surgeons. Approximately 17% are performed by practitioners who complete an average of one to two of these procedures per year. These findings may have significant implications for quality of care in soft tissue tumor surgery.

A multicenter study of the risk of intra-abdominal injury in children after normal abdominal computed tomography scan results in the emergency department.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: We determine whether intra-abdominal injury is rarely diagnosed after a normal abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan result in a large, generalizable sample of children evaluated in the emergency department (ED) after blunt torso trauma. METHODS: This was a planned analysis of data collected during a prospective study of children evaluated in one of 20 EDs in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network. The study sample consisted of patients with normal results for abdominal CT scans performed in the ED. The principal outcome measure was the negative predictive value of CT for any intra-abdominal injury and those undergoing acute intervention. RESULTS: Of 12,044 enrolled children, 5,380 (45%) underwent CT scanning in the ED; for 3,819 of these scan the results were normal. Abdominal CT had a sensitivity of 97.8% (717/733; 95% confidence interval [CI] 96.5% to 98.7%) and specificity of 81.8% (3,803/4,647; 95% CI 80.7% to 82.9%) for any intra-abdominal injury. Sixteen (0.4%; 95% CI 0.2% to 0.7%) of the 3,819 patients with normal CT scan results later received a diagnosis of an intra-abdominal injury, and 6 of these underwent acute intervention for an intra-abdominal injury (0.2% of total sample; 95% CI 0.06% to 0.3%). The negative predictive value of CT for any intra-abdominal injury was 99.6% (3,803/3,819; 95% CI 99.3% to 99.8%); and for injury undergoing acute intervention, 99.8% (3,813/3,819; 95% CI 99.7% to 99.9%). CONCLUSION: In a multicenter study of children evaluated in EDs after blunt torso trauma, intra-abdominal injuries were rarely diagnosed after a normal abdominal CT scan result, suggesting that safe discharge is possible for the children when there are no other reasons for admission.

Identifying children at very low risk of clinically important blunt abdominal injuries.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: We derive a prediction rule to identify children at very low risk for intra-abdominal injuries undergoing acute intervention and for whom computed tomography (CT) could be obviated. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled children with blunt torso trauma in 20 emergency departments. We used binary recursive partitioning to create a prediction rule to identify children at very low risk of intra-abdominal injuries undergoing acute intervention (therapeutic laparotomy, angiographic embolization, blood transfusion for abdominal hemorrhage, or intravenous fluid for ≥2 nights for pancreatic/gastrointestinal injuries). We considered only historical and physical examination variables with acceptable interrater reliability. RESULTS: We enrolled 12,044 children with a median age of 11.1 years (interquartile range 5.8, 15.1 years). Of the 761 (6.3%) children with intra-abdominal injuries, 203 (26.7%) received acute interventions. The prediction rule consisted of (in descending order of importance) no evidence of abdominal wall trauma or seat belt sign, Glasgow Coma Scale score greater than 13, no abdominal tenderness, no evidence of thoracic wall trauma, no complaints of abdominal pain, no decreased breath sounds, and no vomiting. The rule had a negative predictive value of 5,028 of 5,034 (99.9%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 99.7% to 100%), sensitivity of 197 of 203 (97%; 95% CI 94% to 99%), specificity of 5,028 of 11,841 (42.5%; 95% CI 41.6% to 43.4%), and negative likelihood ratio of 0.07 (95% CI 0.03 to 0.15). CONCLUSION: A prediction rule consisting of 7 patient history and physical examination findings, and without laboratory or ultrasonographic information, identifies children with blunt torso trauma who are at very low risk for intra-abdominal injury undergoing acute intervention. These findings require external validation before implementation.

Flexion and extension radiographic evaluation for the clearance of potential cervical spine injures in trauma patients.

BACKGROUND: Flexion and extension radiographs are often used in the setting of trauma to clear a cervical spine injury. The utility of such tests, however, remains to be determined. We hypothesized that in patients who underwent a negative computed tomography (CT) cervical spine scan, flexion and extension radiographs did not yield useful additional information. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of all patients admitted to a Level I trauma center who had a negative CT scan of the cervical spine and a subsequent cervical flexion-extension study for evaluation of potential cervical spine injury. All flexion-extension films were independently reviewed to determine adequacy as defined by C7/T1 visualization and 30° of change in the angle from flexion to extension. The independent reviews were compared to formal radiology readings and the influence of the flexion-extension studies on clinical decision making was also reviewed. RESULTS: One thousand patients met inclusion criteria for the study. Review of the flexion-extension radiographs revealed that 80% of the films either did not adequately demonstrate the C7/T1 junction or had less than 30° range of motion. There was one missed injury that was also missed on magnetic resonance imaging. Results of the flexion-extension views had minimal effects on clinical decision making. CONCLUSION: Adequate flexion extension films are difficult to obtain and are minimally helpful for clearance of the cervical spine in awake and alert trauma patients.

Rate of intra-abdominal injury after a normal abdominal computed tomographic scan in adults with blunt trauma.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to determine the rate of intra-abdominal injury (IAI) in adults with blunt abdominal trauma after a normal abdominal computed tomographic (CT) scan. We hypothesize that the risk of subsequent IAI is so low that hospital admission and observation for possible IAI are unnecessary. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, observational cohort study of adults (>18 years) with blunt trauma who underwent abdominal CT scanning in the emergency department. Computed tomographic scans were obtained with intravenous contrast but no oral contrast. Abnormalities on abdominal CT included all visualized IAIs or any finding suggestive of possible IAI. Patients were followed up to determine the presence or absence of IAI and the need for therapeutic intervention if IAI was identified. RESULTS: Of the 3103 patients undergoing abdominal CT, 2734 (88%) had normal CT scans. The median age was 39 years (interquartile range, 26-51 years); and 2141 (78%) were admitted to the hospital. Eight (0.3%; 95% confidence interval, 0.1%-0.6%) were identified with IAIs after normal abdominal CT scans including the following injuries: pancreas (5), liver (4), gastrointestinal (2), and spleen (2). Five underwent therapy at laparotomy. Abdominal CT had a likelihood ratio (+) of 20.9 (95% confidence interval, 17.7-24.8) and likelihood ratio (-) of 0.034 (0.017-0.068). CONCLUSION: Adult patients with blunt torso trauma and normal abdominal CT scans are at low risk for subsequently identified IAI. Thus, hospitalization for evaluation of possible IAI after a normal abdominal CT scan is unnecessary in most cases.

Indications and performance of pelvic radiography in patients with blunt trauma.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study are to validate a set of clinical variables to identify patients with pelvic fractures and to determine the sensitivity of anteroposterior (AP) pelvic radiographs in patients with pelvic fractures. METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational cohort study of adults (>18 years) with blunt torso trauma evaluated with abdominal/pelvic computed tomography. Physicians providing care in the emergency department documented history and physical examination findings after initial evaluation. High-risk variables included any of the following: hypotension (systolic blood pressure <90 mm Hg), Glasgow Coma Scale score less than 14, pelvic bone tenderness, or instability. Pelvic fractures were present if the orthopedic faculty documented a fracture to the pubis, ilium, ischium, or sacrum. RESULTS: We enrolled 4737 patients, including 289 (6.1%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.4%-6.8%) with pelvic fractures. Of the 289 patients, 256 (88.6%; 95% CI, 84.3%-92.0%) had at least one of the high-risk variables identified. Initial plain AP radiographs identified 234 (81.0%; 95% CI, 76.0%-85.3%) of 289 patients with pelvic fractures. The high-risk variables identified all 87 patients (100%; 95% CI, 96.6%-100%) undergoing surgery, whereas plain AP pelvic radiography identified a fracture in 83 patients (95.4%; 95% CI, 88.6%-98.7%) undergoing surgery. CONCLUSION: Previously identified high-risk variables for pelvic fracture identify most but not all patients with pelvic fractures. However, these high-risk variables identify all patients undergoing surgery and may be implemented as screening criteria for pelvic radiography. Anteroposterior pelvic radiographs fail to demonstrate a fracture in a substantial number of patients with pelvic fracture including patients who undergo surgery.

Does this adult patient have a blunt intra-abdominal injury?

CONTEXT: Blunt abdominal trauma often presents a substantial diagnostic challenge. Well-informed clinical examination can identify patients who require further diagnostic evaluation for intra-abdominal injuries after blunt abdominal trauma. OBJECTIVE: To systematically assess the precision and accuracy of symptoms, signs, laboratory tests, and bedside imaging studies to identify intra-abdominal injuries in patients with blunt abdominal trauma. DATA SOURCES: We conducted a structured search of MEDLINE (1950-January 2012) and EMBASE (1980-January 2012) to identify English-language studies examining the identification of intra-abdominal injuries. A separate, structured search was conducted for studies evaluating bedside ultrasonography. STUDY SELECTION: We included studies of diagnostic accuracy for intra-abdominal injury that compared at least 1 finding with a reference standard of abdominal computed tomography, diagnostic peritoneal lavage, laparotomy, autopsy, and/or clinical course for intra-abdominal injury. Twelve studies on clinical findings and 22 studies on bedside ultrasonography met inclusion criteria for data extraction. DATA EXTRACTION: Critical appraisal and data extraction were independently performed by 2 authors. DATA SYNTHESIS: The prevalence of intra-abdominal injury in adult emergency department patients with blunt abdominal trauma among all evidence level 1 and 2 studies was 13% (95% CI, 10%-17%), with 4.7% (95% CI, 2.5%-8.6%) requiring therapeutic surgery or angiographic embolization of injuries. The presence of a seat belt sign (likelihood ratio [LR] range, 5.6-9.9), rebound tenderness (LR, 6.5; 95% CI, 1.8-24), hypotension (LR, 5.2; 95% CI, 3.5-7.5), abdominal distention (LR, 3.8; 95% CI, 1.9-7.6), or guarding (LR, 3.7; 95% CI, 2.3-5.9) suggest an intra-abdominal injury. The absence of abdominal tenderness to palpation does not rule out an intra-abdominal injury (summary LR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.46-0.80). The presence of intraperitoneal fluid or organ injury on bedside ultrasound assessment is more accurate than any history and physical examination findings (adjusted summary LR, 30; 95% CI, 20-46); conversely, a normal ultrasound result decreases the chance of injury detection (adjusted summary LR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.19-0.34). Test results increasing the likelihood of intra-abdominal injury include a base deficit less than -6 mEq/L (LR, 18; 95% CI, 11-30), elevated liver transaminases (LR range, 2.5-5.2), hematuria (LR range, 3.7-4.1), anemia (LR range, 2.2-3.3), and abnormal chest radiograph (LR range, 2.5-3.8). Symptoms and signs may be most useful in combination, particularly in identification of patients who do not need further diagnostic workup. CONCLUSIONS: Bedside ultrasonography has the highest accuracy of all individual findings, but a normal result does not rule out an intra-abdominal injury. Combinations of clinical findings may be most useful to determine which patients do not require further evaluation, but the ideal combination of variables for identifying patients without intra-abdominal injury requires further study.

Identification of children at very low risk of clinically-important brain injuries after head trauma: a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: CT imaging of head-injured children has risks of radiation-induced malignancy. Our aim was to identify children at very low risk of clinically-important traumatic brain injuries (ciTBI) for whom CT might be unnecessary. METHODS: We enrolled patients younger than 18 years presenting within 24 h of head trauma with Glasgow Coma Scale scores of 14-15 in 25 North American emergency departments. We derived and validated age-specific prediction rules for ciTBI (death from traumatic brain injury, neurosurgery, intubation >24 h, or hospital admission >or=2 nights). FINDINGS: We enrolled and analysed 42 412 children (derivation and validation populations: 8502 and 2216 younger than 2 years, and 25 283 and 6411 aged 2 years and older). We obtained CT scans on 14 969 (35.3%); ciTBIs occurred in 376 (0.9%), and 60 (0.1%) underwent neurosurgery. In the validation population, the prediction rule for children younger than 2 years (normal mental status, no scalp haematoma except frontal, no loss of consciousness or loss of consciousness for less than 5 s, non-severe injury mechanism, no palpable skull fracture, and acting normally according to the parents) had a negative predictive value for ciTBI of 1176/1176 (100.0%, 95% CI 99.7-100 0) and sensitivity of 25/25 (100%, 86.3-100.0). 167 (24.1%) of 694 CT-imaged patients younger than 2 years were in this low-risk group. The prediction rule for children aged 2 years and older (normal mental status, no loss of consciousness, no vomiting, non-severe injury mechanism, no signs of basilar skull fracture, and no severe headache) had a negative predictive value of 3798/3800 (99.95%, 99.81-99.99) and sensitivity of 61/63 (96.8%, 89.0-99.6). 446 (20.1%) of 2223 CT-imaged patients aged 2 years and older were in this low-risk group. Neither rule missed neurosurgery in validation populations. INTERPRETATION: These validated prediction rules identified children at very low risk of ciTBIs for whom CT can routinely be obviated. FUNDING: The Emergency Medical Services for Children Programme of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau Research Programme, Health Resources and Services Administration, US Department of Health and Human Services.

Trauma surgery to acute care surgery: defining the paradigm shift.

BACKGROUND: Trauma surgery is gradually evolving into acute care surgery (ACS). We sought to better define this evolution by using work relative value units (wRVU) to characterize the current practices of trauma and ACS. METHODS: Fiscal year 2007-2008 data from the UHC-AAMC Faculty Practice Solutions Center database, which is comprised of coding or billing data from 85 institutions was used. We compared averages for trauma surgeons with general, oncology, and vascular surgeons. RESULTS: Trauma surgeons are distinct from other surgical specialties; only 43% of their total wRVU were procedural compared to 69% to 75% for vascular, surgical oncology, and general surgeons. The total procedures for each specialty were similar: trauma 660, general surgery 715, surgical oncology 713, vascular 835, but trauma surgeons performed more bedside procedures. Of the top 20 total wRVU generating procedures, 20% of trauma surgeon's were bedside compared to 0% of a general surgeon's. The wRVU or surgeon for cholecystectomy were comparable between trauma and general surgery (388 vs. 452); both groups perform about 75% of the cholecystectomies laparoscopically. With respect to appendectomies, wRVU or surgeon for trauma surgeons (180) exceeded general surgeons (128). Each group performed approximately 65% laparoscopically. CONCLUSIONS: Trauma surgeons are distinctly different from their colleagues, with a greater emphasis on intensive care unit "cognitive" work. The number of procedures performed by trauma surgeons is comparable to other disciplines but with more "bedside" procedures. Trauma surgeons' high appendectomy wRVUs may be a reflection of the transition to an ACS model. The characterization of trauma surgery as nonoperative and intensive care unit-based is in part substantiated but there are indications of a paradigm shift toward more operative experience with transition to an ACS model.

Improving blood pressure screening and control at an academic health system.

The goal of the University of California Davis Health Blood Pressure (BP) Quality Improvement Initiative was to improve the diagnosis, management and control of high BP. Patients aged 18-85 years were included in the initiative. Lean A3 problem solving was used to implement the following evidence-based interventions based on stakeholder interviews, value stream mapping and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Million Hearts Initiative: staff training on accurate BP measurement, visual cues and reminders for BP screening, virtual case-based videoconferences, standardised clinical management algorithm, academic detailing visits, clinical decision support tools, access to pharmacists for medication comanagement, clinician workflow modification, patient education and access to home BP monitors. Following implementation of interventions, accurate screening of BP increased from 14% to 87% and BP control increased from 62% to 75%. Strategies that contributed the most to improvements were using a team-based approach, adjusting clinic workflow and frequent communication of results to staff.

Clinical prediction rules for identifying adults at very low risk for intra-abdominal injuries after blunt trauma.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: We derive and validate clinical prediction rules to identify adult patients at very low risk for intra-abdominal injuries after blunt torso trauma. METHODS: We prospectively enrolled adult patients (>or=18 years old) after blunt torso trauma for whom diagnostic testing for intra-abdominal injury was performed. In the derivation phase, we used binary recursive partitioning to create a rule to identify patients with intra-abdominal injury who were undergoing acute intervention (including therapeutic laparotomy or angiographic embolization) and a separate rule for identifying patients with any intra-abdominal injury present. We considered only clinical variables readily available with acceptable interrater reliability. The prediction rules were then prospectively validated in a separate cohort of patients. RESULTS: In the derivation phase, we enrolled 3,435 patients, including 311 (9.1%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 8.1% to 10.1%) with intra-abdominal injury and 109 (35.0%; 95% CI 29.7% to 40.6%) with intra-abdominal injury requiring acute intervention. In the validation study, we enrolled 1,595 patients, including 143 (9.0%; 95% CI 7.6% to 10.5%) with intra-abdominal injury. The derived rule for patients with intra-abdominal injuries who were undergoing acute intervention consisted of hypotension, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score less than 14, costal margin tenderness, abdominal tenderness, hematuria level greater than or equal to 25 red blood cells/high powered field, and hematocrit level less than 30% and identified all 44 patients in the validation phase with intra-abdominal injury who were undergoing acute intervention (sensitivity 44/44, 100%; 95% CI 93.4% to 100%). The derived rule for the presence of any intra-abdominal injury consisted of GCS score less than 14, costal margin tenderness, abdominal tenderness, femur fracture, hematuria level greater than or equal to 25 red blood cells/high powered field, hematocrit level less than 30%, and abnormal chest radiograph result (pneumothorax or rib fracture). In the validation phase, the rule for any intra-abdominal injury present had the following test performance: sensitivity 137 of 143 (95.8%; 95% CI 91.1% to 98.4%), specificity 434 of 1,452 (29.9%; 95% CI 27.5% to 32.3%), and negative predictive value 434 of 440 (98.6%; 95% CI 97.1% to 99.5%). CONCLUSION: These derived and validated clinical prediction rules can aid physicians in the evaluation of adult patients after blunt torso trauma. Patients without any of these variables are at very low risk for having intra-abdominal injury, particularly intra-abdominal injury requiring acute intervention, and are unlikely to benefit from abdominal computed tomography scanning.

Validation of a prediction rule for the identification of children with intra-abdominal injuries after blunt torso trauma.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: We validate the accuracy of a previously derived clinical prediction rule for the identification of children with intra-abdominal injuries after blunt torso trauma. METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational study of children with blunt torso trauma who were evaluated for intra-abdominal injury with abdominal computed tomography (CT), diagnostic laparoscopy, or laparotomy at a Level I trauma center during a 3-year period to validate a previously derived prediction rule. The emergency physician providing care documented history and physical examination findings on a standardized data collection form before knowledge of the results of diagnostic imaging. The clinical prediction rule being evaluated included 6 "high-risk" variables, the presence of any of which indicated that the child was not at low risk for intra-abdominal injury: low age-adjusted systolic blood pressure, abdominal tenderness, femur fracture, increased liver enzyme levels (serum aspartate aminotransferase concentration >200 U/L or serum alanine aminotransferase concentration >125 U/L), microscopic hematuria (urinalysis >5 RBCs/high powered field), or an initial hematocrit level less than 30%. RESULTS: One thousand three hundred twenty-four children with blunt torso trauma were enrolled, and 1,119 (85%) patients had the variables in the decision rule documented by the emergency physician and therefore made up the study sample. The prediction rule had the following test characteristics: sensitivity=149 of 157, 94.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] 90.2% to 97.7%) and specificity=357 of 962, 37.1% (95% CI 34.0 to 40.3%). Three hundred sixty-five patients tested negative for the rule; thus, strict application would have resulted in a 33% reduction in abdominal CT scanning. Of the 8 patients with intra-abdominal injury not identified by the prediction rule, 1 underwent a laparotomy. This patient had a serosal tear and a mesenteric hematoma at laparotomy, neither of which required specific surgical intervention. CONCLUSION: A clinical prediction rule consisting of 6 variables, easily available to clinicians in the ED, identifies most but not all children with intra-abdominal injury. Application of the prediction rule to this sample would have reduced the number of unnecessary abdominal CT scans performed but would have failed to identify 1 child undergoing (a nontherapeutic) laparotomy. Thus, further refinement of this prediction rule in a large, multicenter cohort is necessary before widespread implementation.

The Financial Impact of the Affordable Care Act on a Level-1 Orthopedic Trauma Service.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on professional fees and proportion of payer type for an orthopedic trauma service at a level-1 trauma center. METHODS: We analyzed professional fee data and payer mix for the 18 months before and after implementation of the ACA. Data were collected for inpatients (IP) and outpatients (OP). We corrected for changes in patient volume between the 2-time periods by calculating average values per patient. RESULTS: Post ACA, we treated a higher percentage of patients with Medicaid and had a reduction in the percentage of uninsured/county payers. Collections for IPs decreased $75.49/patient and OPs decreased $0.10/patient. Our collection rate decreased 6% for IPs and 5% for OPs. In particular, Medicaid collections decreased by $180/IP, and $4/OP, and Medicare decreased by $61/IP and increased $5/OP post ACA, whereas contract collections increased by $140/IP and $20/OP. The changes in our own institution's insurance were mixed with decreases of $514/IP for partial risk and $735/IP for full-risk insurance and increases of $1/OP for partial risk, and $35/OP for full-risk insurance. CONCLUSIONS: Post ACA, we saw less patients, primarily in the OP setting. This shift was accompanied by a significant decrease in our collection rate; specifically, a decrease in the amount we collected per Medicaid patient-the category of payer that increased post ACA. The ACA did allow more uninsured patients access to medical care but was associated with lower IP and OP reimbursements.

Interhospital transfer occurs more slowly for elderly acute trauma patients.

The objective of this study was to determine whether elderly acutely injured patients take longer to be transferred from referring hospitals to a regional trauma center than younger patients. We reviewed all trauma patients transferred urgently to a regional trauma center over 2 years. We considered age>or=65 years to be elderly. We performed multivariable linear regression to determine the extra time spent at the referring hospital attributable to elderly status, after adjustment for confounders. For 371 transfers, mean Injury Severity Score was 12, and 12% of patients had hypotension before transfer. Mean time spent at the referring hospital was 233+/-110 min. After adjustment for confounders, including Injury Severity Score and computed tomography (CT) scanning before transfer, elderly patients spent 32 min more at referring hospitals than non-elderly patients (95% confidence interval 1-63 min). We conclude that interhospital transfer of elderly acutely injured trauma patients takes longer than for younger patients. Providers may be less aggressive in treating elderly trauma patients.

Appearance of solid organ injury with contrast-enhanced sonography in blunt abdominal trauma: preliminary experience.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the detection rate of injury and characterize imaging findings of contrast-enhanced sonography and non-contrast-enhanced sonography in the setting of confirmed solid organ injury. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This prospective study involved identifying hepatic, splenic, and renal injuries on contrast-enhanced CT. After injury identification, both non-contrast-enhanced sonography and contrast-enhanced sonography were performed to identify the possible injury and to analyze the appearance of the injury. The sonographic appearance of hepatic, splenic, and renal injuries was then analyzed, and the conspicuity of the injuries was graded on a scale from 0 (nonvisualization) to 3 (high visualization). RESULTS: Non-contrast-enhanced sonography revealed 11 (50%) of 22 injuries, whereas contrast-enhanced sonography depicted 20 (91%) of 22 injuries. The average grade for conspicuity of injuries was increased from 0.67 to 2.33 for spleen injuries and from 1.0 to 2.2 for liver injuries comparing non-contrast-enhanced with contrast-enhanced sonography, respectively, on a scale from 0, being nonvisualization, to 3, being high visualization. The splenic injuries appeared hypoechoic with occasional areas of normal enhancing splenic tissue within the laceration with contrast-enhanced sonography. Different patterns were observed in liver injuries including a central hypoechoic region. In some liver injuries there was a surrounding hyperechoic region. CONCLUSION: Contrast-enhanced sonography greatly enhances visualization of liver and spleen injuries compared with non-contrast-enhanced sonography. Solid organ injuries usually appeared hypoechoic on contrast-enhanced sonography, but often a hyperechoic region surrounding the injury also was identified with liver injuries.

Do all patients with left costal margin injuries require radiographic evaluation for intraabdominal injury?

STUDY OBJECTIVE: We determine whether all patients with pain or tenderness to the left lower ribs after blunt traumatic injury require abdominal computed tomography (CT) scanning for the detection of splenic injury. METHODS: This was a prospective, observational cohort of all blunt-trauma patients who had pain or tenderness to the left lower ribs and presented to the emergency department (ED) of a Level I trauma center. Patients were enrolled if they had a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score greater than 13 and pain or tenderness to the left lower ribs (ribs 7 to 12). Patients with pain or tenderness to the left lower ribs were considered to have pleuritic pain if the pain increased with inspiration or cough. All hemodynamically stable patients underwent abdominal CT scanning for detection of intraabdominal injuries. Data forms collecting information on the medical history and physical examination of all patients were completed before radiographic imaging. Patients with left lower rib pain or tenderness were considered to have "isolated" left lower rib injury if they were without all of the following: ED or out-of-hospital systolic blood pressure less than 90 mm Hg, abdominal or flank tenderness, pelvic or femur fractures, and gross hematuria. RESULTS: Eight hundred seventy-five patients had left lower rib pain or tenderness, 63 (7.2%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 5.6% to 9.1%) patients had splenic injuries, and 20 (2.3%; 95% CI 1.4% to 3.5%) patients had left renal injuries. Five hundred seventy-four patients had additional indications for abdominal imaging, leaving 301 patients with "isolated" left lower rib injury. Of the 301 patients, 9 (3.0%; 95% CI 1.4% to 5.6%) had splenic injuries. All 9 patients had a pleuritic component to their rib tenderness, and 3 (33%) patients underwent splenectomy. CONCLUSION: A small but important percentage of patients with pain or tenderness to the left lower ribs has splenic injuries. All patients with splenic injury had pleuritic pain.

The modern acute care surgeon: characterization of an evolving surgical niche.

BACKGROUND: Trauma and emergency surgery continues to evolve as a surgical niche. The simple fact that The Journal of Trauma is now entitled The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery captures this reality. We sought to characterize the niche that trauma and emergency surgeons have occupied during the maturation of the acute care surgery model. METHODS: We analyzed the University Health System Consortium-Association of American Medical Colleges Faculty Practice Solutions Center database for the years 2007 to 2012 for specific current procedural terminology (CPT) codes. This database includes coding and billing data for more than 90 academic medical centers throughout the United States. We analyzed frequency counts and work relative value units (wRVUs) generated for specific codes to characterize the average trauma and emergency surgeon's work experience over time. RESULTS: We found that acute care surgeons generated 42.4% of wRVUs from procedural work and 57.6% from cognitive work. For cognitive work, critical care services generated the most wRVUs per year (25.2% of total), and subsequent hospital care was the most frequently performed activity (1,236.6 codes generated per year). For procedural work, laparoscopic cholecystectomies produced the most wRVUs per year (2.4% of total), and placement of a nontunneled catheter was the most frequently performed procedure (42.2 times per year). The average acute care surgeon performed the following numbers of procedures per year: 29.6 cholecystectomies and 20.0 appendectomies; 7.7 wound vacuum device changes; 5.9 implantation of mesh procedures; 4.9 splenectomies and 0.4 splenorrhaphies; 2.6 perirectal abscess drainage procedures; less than one component separation fascial hernia repair; and less than one video-assisted thoracic surgery. CONCLUSION: The modern acute care surgeon is a hybrid of critical care medicine physician and ever-evolving surgical interventionist. Acute care surgeons continue to do traditional trauma work while increasingly performing acute care surgeries. The work of acute care surgeons serves a growing role and fills a valuable niche in our health care system.