Effect of hyperchloremia on mortality of pediatric trauma patients: a retrospective cohort study

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Hyperchloremia is often encountered due to the frequent administration of intravenous fluids in critically ill patients with conditions such as shock or hypotension in the pediatric intensive care unit, and high serum levels of chloride are associated with poor clinical outcomes. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the association between hyperchloremia and in-hospital mortality in pediatric patients with major trauma. DESIGN AND SETTING: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at a tertiary university hospital in Turkey. METHODS: Data were collected between March 2020 and April 2022. Patients aged 1 month to 18 years with major trauma who received intravenous fluids with a concentration > 0.9% sodium chloride were enrolled. Hyperchloremia was defined as a serum chloride level > 110 mmol/L. Clinical and laboratory data were compared between the survivors and nonsurvivors. RESULTS: The mortality rate was 23% (n = 20). The incidence of hyperchloremia was significantly higher in nonsurvivors than in survivors (P = 0.05). In multivariate logistic analysis, hyperchloremia at 48 h was found to be an independent risk factor for mortality in pediatric patients with major trauma. CONCLUSIONS: In pediatric patients with major trauma, hyperchloremia at 48-h postadmission was associated with 28-day mortality. This parameter might be a beneficial prognostic indicator.

Major Trauma induced Left Ventricular Thrombus after Acute Myocardial Infarction

Left Ventricular Thrombus (LVT) formation after acute myocardial infarction is a serious complication. And the most feared complication of LVT is the systemic thromboembolic events, especially to the brain. Nowadays patients with acute myocardial infarction are treated with primary PCI and more aggressive anticoagulation therapies, resulting in the lower incidence of LVT. Early detection of LVT is very important, and echocardiography is the definitive test for detecting intracardiac thrombus. However, the need for serial echocardiography remains controversial. In this case report, we describe a 55-year-old man with major trauma induced LVT after acute myocardial infarction who underwent successful therapy.

Initial Management of Major Trauma for Physician First Responders

Family physicians may be called upon to respond to trauma patients in their clinics or at scene of injury. Managing trauma can be daunting to any physician who encounters it infrequently. The physician first responder needs to shut out the chaos and distractions at scene and focus on a systematic primary survey to assess for injuries with the potential to cause rapid deterioration, institute crucial life-saving interventions and effect rapid evacuation to hospital. This article details a simple approach to guide the family physician to assess and prioritise management of the trauma patient, and augment the work of the paramedics in the pre-hospital phase.

The Factors Affecting the Precaution and Request of Medical Direction for Prehospital Emergency Treatment of Major Trauma Patients by 119 Rescue Services

PURPOSE: This study examined the factors affecting the precaution and request of medical direction for prehospital emergency treatment of major trauma patients by 119 rescue services. METHODS: Medical records and prehospital run reports of major trauma patients with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) above 15 were reviewed. In total, 123 patients who were transferred by 119 rescue services to the Emergency Department of one hospital from December 1, 2010 to February 28, 2013 were enrolled. A total of 123 patients with major trauma satisfied the ISS criterion. Excluding 26 patients with missing data, 97 patients were included in this study. Out of these 97 patients, 72 patients were male and the mean age was 46+/-16.1 years. The statistical methods used in the analysis were the Receiver-Operating Characteristic curve and Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: Between the hospital precaution group and non-precaution group, the only significant difference was in the RTS score (p=0.007). In total, 52 patients (39 male patients; mean age 49.52+/-16.14 years) with major trauma were transferred during the medical direction period. Between groups that requested medical direction and groups that did not, the only significant difference was the time interval from the call to hospital arrival (p=0.032). CONCLUSION: Within the variables we examined, transport of major trauma patients, in addition to low incidence of precaution and request for medical direction by 119 rescue services, only a few were considered.

The Factors Affecting the Precaution and Request of Medical Direction for Prehospital Emergency Treatment of Major Trauma Patients by 119 Rescue Services

PURPOSE: This study examined the factors affecting the precaution and request of medical direction for prehospital emergency treatment of major trauma patients by 119 rescue services. METHODS: Medical records and prehospital run reports of major trauma patients with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) above 15 were reviewed. In total, 123 patients who were transferred by 119 rescue services to the Emergency Department of one hospital from December 1, 2010 to February 28, 2013 were enrolled. A total of 123 patients with major trauma satisfied the ISS criterion. Excluding 26 patients with missing data, 97 patients were included in this study. Out of these 97 patients, 72 patients were male and the mean age was 46+/-16.1 years. The statistical methods used in the analysis were the Receiver-Operating Characteristic curve and Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: Between the hospital precaution group and non-precaution group, the only significant difference was in the RTS score (p=0.007). In total, 52 patients (39 male patients; mean age 49.52+/-16.14 years) with major trauma were transferred during the medical direction period. Between groups that requested medical direction and groups that did not, the only significant difference was the time interval from the call to hospital arrival (p=0.032). CONCLUSION: Within the variables we examined, transport of major trauma patients, in addition to low incidence of precaution and request for medical direction by 119 rescue services, only a few were considered.

Initial Management of Major Trauma for Physician First Responders

Family physicians may be called upon to respond to trauma patients in their clinics or at scene of injury. Managing trauma can be daunting to any physician who encounters it infrequently. The physician first responder needs to shut out the chaos and distractions at scene and focus on a systematic primary survey to assess for injuries with the potential to cause rapid deterioration, institute crucial life-saving interventions and effect rapid evacuation to hospital. This article details a simple approach to guide the family physician to assess and prioritise management of the trauma patient, and augment the work of the paramedics in the pre-hospital phase.

Multivariate Analysis of Predictive Factors for the Severity in Stable Patients with Severe Injury Mechanism

PURPOSE: For determining the prognosis of critically injured patients, transporting patients to medical facilities capable of providing proper assessment and management, running rapid assessment and making rapid decisions, and providing aggressive resuscitation is vital. Considering the high mortality and morbidity rates in critically injured patients, various studies have been conducted in efforts to reduce those rates. However, studies related to diagnostic factors for predicting severity in critically injured patients are still lacking. Furthermore, patients showing stable vital signs and alert mental status, who are injured via a severe trauma mechanism, may be at a risk of not receiving rapid assessment and management. Thus, this study investigates diagnostic factors, including physical examination and laboratory results, that may help predict severity in trauma patients injured via a severe trauma mechanism, but showing stable vital signs. METHODS: From March 2010 to December 2011, all trauma patients who fit into a diagnostic category that activated a major trauma team in CHA Bundang Medical Center were analyzed retrospectively. The retrospective analysis was based on prospective medical records completed at the time of arrival in the emergency department and on sequential laboratory test results. PASW statistics 18(SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) was used for the statistical analysis. Patients with relatively stable vital signs and alert mental status were selected based on a revised trauma score of more than 7 points. The final diagnosis of major trauma was made based on an injury severity score of greater than 16 points. Diagnostic variables include systolic blood pressure and respiratory rate, glasgow coma scale, initial result from focused abdominal sonography for trauma, and laboratory results from blood tests and urine analyses. To confirm the true significance of the measured values, we applied the Kolmogorov-Smirnov one sample test and the Shapiro-Wilk test. When significance was confirmed, the Student's t-test was used for comparison; when significance was not confirmed, the Mann-Whitney u-test was used. The results of focused abdominal sonography for trauma (FAST) and factors of urine analysis were analyzed using the Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test. Variables with statistical significance were selected as prognostics factors, and they were analyzed using a multivariate logistics regression model. RESULTS: A total of 269 patients activated the major trauma team. Excluding 91 patients who scored a revised trauma score of less than 7 points, 178 patients were subdivided by injury severity score to determine the final major trauma patients. Twenty-one(21) patients from 106 major trauma patients and 9 patients from 72 minor trauma patients were also excluded due to missing medical records or untested blood and urine analysis. The investigated variables with p-values less than 0.05 include the glasgow coma scale, respiratory rate, white blood cell count (WBC), serum AST and ALT, serum creatinine, blood in spot urine, and protein in spot urine. These variables could, thus, be prognostic factors in major trauma patients. A multivariate logistics regression analysis on those 8 variables showed the respiratory rate (p=0.034), WBC (p=0.005) and blood in spot urine (p=0.041) to be independent prognostic factors for predicting the clinical course of major trauma patients. CONCLUSION: In trauma patients injured via a severe trauma mechanism, but showing stable vital signs and alert mental status, the respiratory rate, WBC count and blood in the urine can be used as predictable factors for severity. Using those laboratory results, rapid assessment of major trauma patients may shorten the time to diagnosis and the time for management.

Risk factors and clinical effects of trauma induced coagulopathy in ICU patients with major trauma / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective To investigate the risk factors of trauma induced coagulopathy and its effect on the outcome of ICU patients with severe trauma.Methods Totally 223 severe trauma patients admitted to emergency ICU within 24h after injuring between June,2008 and September,2009 were retrospectively analyzed.Injury severity score (ISS),APACHE Ⅱ score,coagulation function,routine blood test,biochemical test,and blood gas assay were completed for each patient. Hypoperfusion was defined as vasoactive agents usage,or base deficit (BD) ≥ 6 or shock index ≥ 1. Patients were divided into coagulopathy group and non-coagulopathy (control) group according to coagulation function.ISS,APACHE Ⅱ score,the occurrence of hypothermia and hypoperfusion were compared between the two groups.The risk factors of trauma induced coagulopathy were analyzed,and the multivariate logistic regression equation was formulated.Coagulation function and incidence of trauma induced coagulopathy were compared between nonsurvival and survival group.Results Fifty-two of 223 (23.3 ％ ) patients met the criteria of trauma induced coagulopathy.Mortality rate in this group was significantly higher than that in non-coagulopathy group (36.5％ vs 9.4％, P ＜ 0.01 ). Patients in both groups had the comparability in age,sex, injury mechanism and time after trauma.ISS,the incidence of hypothermia,hypoperfusion and severe traumatic brain injury in coagulopathy group were higher than those in non-coagulopathy group ( P ＜ 0.01 ).GCS,hemoglobin,hematocrit,and platelet counts in coagulopathy group were significantly lower than that in noncoagulopathy group (P＜ 0.01).Base deficit ≥6,GCS ≤ 8,and platelet counts were considered as the independent risk factors involved in trauma- induced coagulopathy according to logistic regression in this study.Coagulation function of non-survivors also remarkably attenuated when compared with survival group.Conclusions The incidence rate of trauma induced coagulopathy is high in severe trauma patients admitted to ICU within 24h. Trauma induced coagulopathy correlates well with ISS core,severe traumatic brain injury,shock and hypothermia,and results in high mortality.

Prognostic Factor, for Major Trauma Patients in the Emergency Medical Service System

PURPOSE: A few studies have assessed the factors affecting the prognoses for major trauma patients and those improving the circumstances when dealing with the trauma system. In that light, we analyzed factors, such as pre-hospital factors, the time to admission, the length of stay in the emergency department (ED) and emergency operation, influencing the outcomes for trauma patients. METHODS: The patients who visited our emergency department from April 1, 2009, to February 29, 2011, due to major trauma were enrolled in the study. The inclusion criterion was a revised trauma score (RTS) or = 16. We used reviews of medical records, to analyze each step of emergency medical care with respect to patients' sex, age, visit time and visit date. Continuous variables were described as a median with an interquartile range, and we compared the variables between the survival and the mortality groups by using the Mann-Whitney U test. Fisher's exact test was used for nominal variables. Using the variables that showed statistical significance in univariate comparisons, we performed a logistic regression analysis, and we tested the model's adequacy by the using the Hosmer-Lemeshow method. RESULTS: A total of 261 patients with major trauma satisfied either the RTS score criterion or the ISS score criterion. Excluding 12 patients with missing data, 249 patients were included in this study. The overall mortality rate was 16.9%. Time to ED arrival, time to admission, time of ED stay, RTS, ISS, and visit date being a holiday showed statistically significant differences between the survival and the mortality groups in the univariate analysis. RTS, ISS, length of ED stay, and visit date being a holiday showed statistical significance in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: The mortality rate did not show a significant relationship with the time to ED arrival, use of 119, on time to admission. Rather, it elicited a quite significant correlation with the trauma scoring system (RTS and ISS), the time of ED stay, and the visit date being a holiday.

Significance of early detection of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide in patients with severe trauma / 中华急诊医学杂志

ObjectiveTo detect the serum NT-proBNP level in patients with severe trauma 24 hours after injury in order to find the possible correlated factors for the evaluation of the clinical application.MethodsSixty patients with severe trauma admitted to the emergency ICU were enrolled. Serum NTproBNP level was detected 24 hours after injury for comparison between survivors and nonsurvivors. The validity of NT-proBNP for predicting outcome was analyzed by receiver operating characteristic ( ROC )curve. The factors with significant correlation between NT-proBNP level and the length of ICU stay as well as the duration of mechanical ventilation support were determined in those survivors with correlation and stepwise linear regression analysis. These factors included injury severity score (ISS), head abbreviated injury score (AIS), acute physiology and chronic health evaluation Ⅱ ( APACHE I ), Glasgow coma score (GCS), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB), cardiac troponin-I (cTn-I) and central venous pressure. Results The median NT-proBNP levels were 762 pg/ml (IQR, 400-1131 pg/mL) in nonsurvivors versus 200 pg/ml (IQR, 80-383 pg/mL) in survivors (Z =-3. 972, P ＜0.01 ). The area under ROC curve of NTproBNP was not statistically different to that of ISS and that of APACHE Ⅱ. The best threshold value of NTproBN to predict the outcome was 384 pg/ml ( sensitivity 0. 846, specifity 0. 766). A positive correlation was found between NT-proBNP and the length of ICU stay ( r =0. 32, P ＜ 0. 05 ) as well as the duration of mechanical ventilation ( r =0. 37, P ＜ 0. 05 ) in survivors. Stepwise linear regression analysis indicated there were significant correlations between APACHE Ⅱ, CK-MB and NT-proBNP.ConclusionsSerum NT-proBNP level 24 hours after injury is correlated with the severity and outcome of patients with severe trauma. It may be used as a complementary biomarker for the rapid assessment of the severity of trauma.

Composition and associated factors of radiological examination in major trauma patients / 中华急诊医学杂志

Objective To explore the determinant factors influencing the constituent parts of radiological examination in severe trauma patients so as to provide scientific basis for optimized strategy of radiological examination. Methods A prospective study was carried out from April to July 2010 in a tertiary hospital. Clinical data of 60 severe trauma patients admitted to emergency department and ICU were recorded. The type, number and site of trauma under radiological examination were described and compared among different stages of treatment. The correlation between number of radiological examinations and age, number of injured site, injury severity score (ISS), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), ICU stay and overall length of hospital stay were analyzed. Results (1) The majority of radiological examinations in 60 patients were radiography and CT, with a corresponding median number of 6.0(3.0～ 11.0, IQR)and 10.0(8.0 ～ 13.8, Qr) times per patient. (2) The numbers of radiography examinations requested in emergency room, emergency ICU and general ward were quite approximately equal (x2 =4.043 ,P =0. 132), while CT examinations were mainly requested in emergency room and emergency ICU (x2 = 20. 274 , P < 0. 001). (3) The numbers of radiological examinations requested for different sites of injury were quite significantly different between radiography and CT during different stages of treatment (x2 = 114.609, 75.932, P < 0.01). (4 ) The number of CT scan requested was positively correlated with number of injured site, ISS, ICU and overall length of hospital stay (r =0.273,0.369,0.523,0.417,all P <0.05). Conclusions The sum of radiological examinations in severe trauma patients was great mainly in radiography and CT, and CT was more predominantly requested. The number of CT scans examinations was positively correlated with severity of injury and length of ICU stay. Further study is warranted to optimize radiological examination in severe trauma patients.

Delayed Transfer of Major Trauma Patients Under the Current Emergency Medical System in Korea

PURPOSE: Major trauma patients should be transferred to a definitive care facility as early as possible because prompt management will prevent death. This study was designed to discover the obstacles leading to delayed transfers under the current emergency medical system in Korea and whether there are any negative outcomes associated with conducting procedures at primary care hospitals prior to transferring patients to higher levels of care. METHODS: The medical records of major trauma patients with an Injury Severity Score above 15 within the past year were reviewed. Patients were divided three groups as follows: (A) came directly to our emergency center, (B) were transferred without CT or MRI scan at the primary care hospital and (C) transferred with CT or MRI scans. The transfer time of each group were compared and analyzed statistically. Additionally, the number and type of imaging performed at the primary care hospital were analyzed. RESULTS: All qualified patients (n=276) were enrolled in this study: 121 patients in group A; 104 in group B; 51 in group C. There was a statistically significant difference in the transfer time between the three groups (p-value<0.001), and 79 (28.6%) were transferred to an emergency medical center within one hour. In group C, CT or MRI scans were performed an average of 1.86 times at the primary care hospital, and the median transfer time was 4 hours 5 minutes. CONCLUSION: Only 28.6% of the cases in the study arrived within the golden hour at a definitive care facility. Such delays are in part the result of prolonged times at the primary care hospital for radiologic examinations, such as CT or MRI scans. Major multiple trauma patients should be transferred to a definitive care facility directly or as soon as the primary survey and the resuscitation of Advanced Trauma Life Support guideline are completed at the primary care hospital.

The Effect of Six Sigma Activity in Major Trauma Patients on the Time Spent in the Emergency Department

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to shorten the time spent at each stage of treatment and to reduce the total amount of time patients spend in the emergency department (ED) by applying Six Sigma in the treatment of major trauma patients. METHODS: This is a comparative study encompassing 60 patients presenting to the ED of Bundang CHA Hospital from January 2008 to December 2008 and from July 2009 to March 2010. The stages of treatment for major trauma patients were divided into six categories (T1: total emergency department staying time, T2: duration of visit-radiologic evaluation time, T3: duration of visit-consult to department of admission, T4: duration of consultation-issue of hospital admissions time, T5: duration of visit-issue of hospital admissions time, T6: duration of issue of hospital admission-emergency department discharge time) and the total time patients spent in the ED was compared and analyzed for periods; before and after the application of Six Sigma. RESULTS: After the application of Six Sigma, the numerical values in four of the six categories were significantly reduced; T2, T3, T4, and T5. However, the average of the total time patients spent in the ED did not show any remarkable change because the T6 increased highly. The level of Six Sigma increased 0.17sigma. CONCLUSION: The application of Six Sigma for major trauma patients in the ED resulted in a significant improvement in the error rate for the total time patients spent in the ED. The Six Sigma activity has shown great potential. Therefore, the project is expected to bring better results in every stage of treatment if the levels of the hospital facilities are improved.

Epidemiological characteristics and care outcome of the elderly patients with severe chest trauma / 中华创伤杂志

Objective To further improve level of severe chest trauma care in the elderly pa-tients. Methods A retrospective study was done on data of 148 elderly patients (≥65 years with se-vere chest trauma (AIS≥3 points) (elderly group) treated in Chongqing Emergency Medical Center from June 1995 to May 2005. A total of 1669 patients at age less than 65 years and with AIS≥3 points were set as control group in the same research period (control group). Results The main injury mechanism was blunt trauma, which aceouted for 83.8% (124/148) in elderly group, higher than 69.3% (1 157/ 1 669) in control group (P < 0. 01). The injury causes were mainly traffic accidents, slip and fall from a height. Traffic accidents and slip accounted for 66.2% (98/148) and 14.9% (22/148) respectively, which was significantly higher than 50.6% (845/1 669) and 3.1% (52/1 669) respectively in control group (P < 0. 01). There was no statistical difference upon ISS, RTS, GCS and prehospital time between both groups (all P value > 0.05). The fatality rate and indicence rate of complication in the elerly group were 15.5% (23/148) and 25.7% (38/148), which was significantly higher than 6.5% (108/1 669) and 10.4% (174/1 669) respectively in control group (P <0.01). The fatality rate in elderly group with complications was significantly higher than that in control group (51.7% vs 26.7%) (P < 0.01), while those without complications showed no statistical difference between two groups (6.7% :3.5%) (P >0. 05). Conclusions The patient' s age and complications are relative independent factors to es-timate the trauma care outcome. To raise risk awareness and strengthen the management of complications and supportive treatments for organ function are key to improve survival rate of the elderly patients with se-vere chest trauma.

Effect of Alcohol on Base Deficit in Trauma

PURPOSE: Alcohol intake is commonly found in injured patients, and alcohol affects base deficit independently with trauma. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of alcohol on base deficit in trauma patients. METHODS: Data was retrospectively collected from trauma patients over 18 years of age who were admitted at the emergency center between October 2005 and July 2006. Blood sampling for alcohol level, base deficit evaluation were done within first hour for all patients. Patients were divided according to the serum alcohol level into an alcohol group(serum alcohol level> or =10 mg/dl) and a non-alcohol group. The patients were also stratified into minor (ISS or =16) injury groups according to their injury severity score (ISS). RESULTS: The study enrolled 63 patients of whom 37 fell into the alcohol group and 26 into the non-alcohol group. The mean alcohol level within the alcohol group was 210+/-85 mg/dl. Base deficit and serum lactate were not found to be significantly different in minor and major injuries, and ISS, base deficit were not significantly different with serum alcohol level. Base deficit was somewhat higher on average but not statistically significant in the non-alcohol group than in the alcohol group (-3.0+/-4.5 vs. -1.8+/-6.7 mmol/L, p=0.444). The base deficit was higher for the major injury-alcohol group than for the major injury-non-alcohol group, but this difference also did not achieve statistical significance (-4.6 +/-5.8 vs -2.4+/-8.1 mmol/L, p=0.117) CONCLUSION: In the severely injured patients, base deficit appears to be increased with alcohol but we found no statistically significant differences in base deficit and ISS between alcohol group and non-alcohol group of injured patients.

Basic Trauma Life Support

The educational courses for trauma care are stratified into two classes. The first is the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) course, which is sponsored by the Committee on Trauma (COT) of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and whose target learners are the surgeons who treat the victims of major trauma. The second is the Basic Trauma Life Support (BTLS) course, which is sponsored by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and whose target learners are the pre-hospital healthcare providers, the nurses in emergency rooms, and the emergency physicians who provide emergency care to the victims of major trauma in the accident scene or in the emergency room before the trauma surgeons. The Emergency Medical Service System (EMSS) of Korea is managing to do its work somewhat well when it functions in the medical emergency situations. However, when it encounters with major trauma patients, it can rarely keep the principles of trauma care, such as the 'Golden Hour' and 'the rapid transportation to an appropriate trauma center directly' due to its systemic failure. Therefore the Preventable Death Rate (PDR) of major trauma patients is presumed to be very high in Korea. To rebuild the EMSS of Korea into a new system suitable for major trauma, the Korean Healthcare Administrations should start to lead the legislation and the support for trauma centers and trauma experts. The spread of the educational courses for trauma care into the emergency medical societies can be a starting point to solve the problem. The BTLS course is one of them.

5 Cases of Fat Embolism / 대한정형외과학회잡지

The fat embolism is often major camplication of major trauma and demands the attention of physicians treating patients with bony injury. We have experienced 5 cases of fat embolism. In all cases there was a latent period between injury and onset of symptoms. This varied from 16 hours to 48 hours. There was marked variation in clinical presentation and laboratory finidngs. One case was died of complication of fat embolism.