Direct to operating room trauma resuscitation decreases mortality among severely injured children.

BACKGROUND: Expediting evaluation and intervention for severely injured patients has remained a mainstay of advanced trauma care. One technique, direct to operating room (DOR) resuscitation, for selective adult patients has demonstrated decreased mortality. We sought to investigate the application of this protocol in children. METHODS: All DOR pediatric patients from 2009 to 2016 at a pediatric Level I trauma center were identified. Direct to OR criteria included penetrating injury, chest injuries, amputations, significant blood loss, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and surgeon discretion. Demographics, injury patterns, interventions, and outcomes were analyzed. Observed mortality was compared with expected mortality, calculated using Trauma Injury Severity Score methodology, with two-tailed t tests, and a p value less than 0.5 was considered significant. RESULTS: Of 2,956 total pediatric trauma activations, 82 (2.8%) patients (age range, 1 month to 17 years) received DOR resuscitation during the study period. The most common indications for DOR were penetrating injuries (62%) and chest injuries (32%). Forty-four percent had Injury Severity Score (ISS) greater than 15, 33% had Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of 8 or less, and 9% were hypotensive. The most commonly injured body regions were external (66%), head (34%), chest (30%), and abdomen (27%). Sixty-seven (82%) patients required emergent procedural intervention, most commonly wound exploration/repair (35%), central venous access (22%), tube thoracostomy (19%), and laparotomy (18%). Predictors of intervention were ISS greater than 15 (odds ratio, 14; p = 0.013) and GCS < 9 (odds ratio = 8.5, p = 0.044). The survival rate to discharge for DOR patients was 84% compared with an expected survival of 79% (Trauma Injury Severity Score) (p = 0.4). The greatest improvement relative to expected mortality was seen in the subgroup with penetrating trauma (84.5% vs 74.4%; p = 0.002). CONCLUSION: A selective policy of resuscitating the most severely injured children in the OR can decrease mortality. Patients suffering penetrating trauma with the highest ISS, and diminished GCS scores have the greatest benefit. Trauma centers with appropriate resources should evaluate implementing similar policies. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Diagnostic tests or criteria, level II.

A novel bioluminescent tumor model of human renal cancer cell lines: an in vitro and in vivo characterization.

PURPOSE: Bioluminescent imaging permits sensitive in vivo detection and quantification of cells engineered to emit light. We developed a bioluminescent human renal cancer cell line for in vitro and in vivo studies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The 2 human renal cell carcinoma cell lines SN12-C and SN12-L1 were stably transfected to constitutively express luciferase using a retroviral shuttle. The bioluminescent signal was correlated with tumor cell numbers in vitro. Parental and transfected cells were compared by growth kinetics and histology. Tumor burden after heterotopic injection in immune deficient mice was monitored up to 39 days. The kinetics of the bioluminescent signal was evaluated for 1 to 60 minutes following luciferin injection. RESULTS: Bioengineered renal cancer cell lines stably expressed luciferase. The growth kinetics of the cells in vitro and the histology of tumors resulting from implantation of these cells were unaffected by retroviral transfection with the luciferase gene. As few as 1,000 cells could be reliably detected. The intensity of the bioluminescent signal correlated with the number of tumor cells in vitro. Photon emission in vivo and ex vivo correlated significantly with tumor weight at sacrifice. After intraperitoneal injection of luciferin there was a time dependent change in the intensity of the bioluminescent signal with maximum photon emission at 20 minutes (optimal 17 to 25). CONCLUSIONS: Luciferase transfected human renal cancer lines allow reliable, rapid, noninvasive and longitudinal monitoring of tumor growth in vivo. The ability to assess tumor development in vivo with time is economical and effective compared to end point data experiments.