Implementation of Entrustable Professional Activities in General Surgery: Results of a National Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVE: The ongoing complexity of general surgery training has led to an increased focus on ensuring the competence of graduating residents. Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) are units of professional practice that provide an assessment framework to drive competency-based education. The American Board of Surgery convened a group from the American College of Surgeons, Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) Surgery Review Committee, and Association of Program Directors in Surgery to develop and implement EPAs in a pilot group of residency programs across the country. The objective of this pilot study was to determine the feasibility and utility of EPAs in general surgery resident training. METHODS: 5 EPAs were chosen based on the most common procedures reported in ACGME case logs and by practicing general surgeons (right lower quadrant pain, biliary disease, inguinal hernia), along with common activities covering additional ACGME milestones (performing a consult, care of a trauma patient). Levels of entrustment assigned (1 to 5) were observation only, direct supervision, indirect supervision, unsupervised, and teaching others. Participating in site recruitment and faculty development occurred from 2017 to 2018. EPA implementation at individual residency programs began on July 1, 2018, and was completed on June 30, 2020. Each site was assigned 2 EPAs to implement and collected EPA microassessments on residents for those EPAs. The site clinical competency committees (CCC) used these microassessments to make summative entrustment decisions. Data submitted to the independent deidentified data repository every 6 months included the number of microassessments collected per resident per EPA and CCC summative entrustment decisions. RESULTS: Twenty-eight sites were selected to participate in the program and represented geographic and size variability, community, and university-based programs. Over the course of the 2-year pilot programs reported on 14 to 180 residents. Overall, 6,272 formative microassessments were collected (range, 0 to 1144 per site). Each resident had between 0 and 184 microassessments. The mean number of microassessments per resident was 5.6 (SD = 13.4) with a median of 1 [interquartile range (IQR) = 6]. There were 1,763 summative entrustment ratings assigned to 497 unique residents. The average number of observations for entrustment was 3.24 (SD 3.61) with a median of 2 (IQR 3). In general, PGY1 residents were entrusted at the level of direct supervision and PGY5 residents were entrusted at unsupervised practice or teaching others. For each EPA other than the consult EPA, the degree of entrustment reported by the CCC increased by resident level. CONCLUSIONS: These data provide evidence that widespread implementation of EPAs across general surgery programs is possible, but variable. They provide meaningful data that graduating chief residents are entrusted by their faculty to perform without supervision for several common general surgical procedures and highlight areas to target for the successful widespread implementation of EPAs.

Validation of Abbreviated Four- and Eight-Item Versions of the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 in a Traumatically Injured Sample.

Rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are three times higher in traumatically injured populations than the general population, yet limited brief, valid measures for assessing PTSD symptom severity exist. The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) is a valid, efficient measure of symptom severity, but its completion is time consuming. Subsequently, abbreviated four- and eight-item versions were developed using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview-7 PTSD module and validated in Veteran samples. This study aimed to validate these abbreviated versions using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5), the gold standard for PTSD diagnosis, in a traumatically injured civilian population. Participants were 251 traumatically injured adults (Mage = 42.52 years; 69.3% male; 50.2% Caucasian) recruited from a Level 1 trauma center inpatient unit; 32.3% and 17.9% of participants experienced a motor vehicle crash or gunshot wound, respectively. The CAPS-5 and PCL-5 were administered approximately 6.5 months postinjury. We examined whether compared to the full PCL-5, the abbreviated versions would adequately differentiate between participants with and without a CAPS-5 PTSD diagnosis. The abbreviated versions were highly correlated with the total scale and showed good-to-excellent internal consistency. The diagnostic utility of the abbreviated measures was comparable to that of the total scale regarding sensitivity, suggesting they may be useful as abbreviated screening tools; however, the total scale functioned better regarding specificity. The abbreviated versions of the PCL-5 may be useful screening instruments in the long-term care of traumatic injury survivors and may be more likely to be implemented across routine clinical and research contexts.

Assessing the Value of Endoscopy Simulator Modules Designed to Prepare Residents for the Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery Examination.

BACKGROUND: The Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery examination is required for all general surgery residents. The test modules are not available for practice before the examination; however, similar modules are commercially available. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to determine which modules are most valuable for resident training and preparation for the examination by evaluating which correlates best with experience level. DESIGN: This was a single-institution study. SETTING: A virtual reality endoscopy simulator was utilized. PARTICIPANTS: General surgery residents and faculty endoscopists performed endoscopy simulator modules (Endobasket 2, Endobubble 1 and 2, Mucosal Evaluation 2, and Basic Navigation) designed to prepare residents for the Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery examination. Residents were assigned into junior and senior groups based on the completion of a dedicated endoscopy rotation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcomes measured were the mean time to completion, mean number of balloons popped, and mean number of wall hits for the 3 groups. RESULTS: A total of 21 junior residents, 11 senior residents, and 3 faculty participated. There were significant differences among groups in the mean time to completion for the Endobasket, Endobubble, and Mucosal Evaluation modules. The modules that correlated best with experience level were Endobubble 2 and Mucosal Evaluation 2. For Endobubble 2, juniors were slower than seniors, who were in turn slower than faculty (junior 118.8 ± 20.55 seconds, senior 100.3 ± 11.78 seconds, faculty 87.67 ± 2.848 seconds; p < 0.01). Juniors popped fewer balloons than seniors, who popped fewer balloons than faculty (junior 9.441 ± 3.838, senior 15.62 ± 4.133, faculty 28.78 ± 1.712; p < 0.001). For Mucosal Evaluation 2, juniors were slower than seniors, who were in turn slower than faculty (junior 468.8 ± 123.5 seconds, senior 368.6 ± 63.42 seconds, faculty 233.1 ± 70.45 seconds; p < 0.01). LIMITATIONS: Study residents have not completed the Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery examinations, so correlation with examination performance is not yet possible. CONCLUSIONS: Performance on Endobasket, Endobubble, and Mucosal Evaluation correlated well with experience level, providing benchmarks for each level to attain in preparation for the Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery examination. See Video Abstract at http://links.lww.com/DCR/A823.

Detecting PTSD in a traumatically injured population: The diagnostic utility of the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5.

BACKGROUND: The posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) is among few validated measures of PTSD severity in line with the DSM-5. Validation efforts among veteran samples have recommended cut scores of 33 and 38 to indicate PTSD; cut scores vary across populations depending on factors such as trauma type. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic utility of and identify optimal cut scores for the PCL-5 in relation to the gold standard Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) among traumatically injured individuals 6 months after discharge from a level I trauma center. METHODS: A total of 251 participants completed the PCL-5 and CAPS-5 6 months after discharge from a level I trauma center following traumatic injury. Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses detailed diagnostic accuracy of the PCL-5 and identified the optimal cut score via Youden's J index. Cut scores were also broken down by intentional versus nonintentional injury. RESULTS: The PCL-5 produces satisfactory diagnostic accuracy, with adequate sensitivity and specificity, in a traumatically injured population. Estimates indicate the optimal cut score as >30; the optimal cut score for intentional injuries was >34 and >22 for nonintentional injuries. CONCLUSIONS: This investigation provides support for the PCL-5 in detection of PTSD among injured individuals 6 months after discharge from a level I trauma center. PCL-5 specificity and sensitivity suggest clinicians working with this population can feel confident in using this measure over more onerous structured interviews (e.g., CAPS-5). This study signifies a move toward ensuring those experiencing mental health difficulties after traumatic injury are identified and connected to resources.

Analysis of Gender-based Differences in Surgery Faculty Compensation, Promotion, and Retention: Establishing Equity.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to evaluate gender-based differences in faculty salaries before and after implementation of a university-wide objective compensation plan, Faculty First (FF), in alignment with Association of American Medical Colleges regional median salary (AAMC-WRMS). Gender-based differences in promotion and retention were also assessed. SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA: Previous studies demonstrate that female faculty within surgery are compensated less than male counterparts are and have decreased representation in higher academic ranks and leadership positions. METHODS: At a single institution, surgery faculty salaries and work relative value units (wRVUs) were reviewed from 2009 to 2017, and time to promotion and retention were reviewed from 1998 to 2007. In 2015, FF supplanted specialty-specific compensation plans. Salaries and wRVUs relative to AAMC-WRMS, time to promotion, and retention were compared between genders. RESULTS: Female faculty (N = 24) were compensated significantly less than males were (N = 62) before FF (P = 0.004). Female faculty compensation significantly increased after FF (P < 0.001). After FF, female and male faculty compensation was similar (P = 0.32). Average time to promotion for female (N = 29) and male faculty (N = 82) was similar for promotion to associate professor (P = 0.49) and to full professor (P = 0.37). Promotion was associated with significantly higher retention for both genders (P < 0.001). The median time of departure was similar between female and male faculty (P = 0.73). CONCLUSIONS: A university-wide objective compensation plan increased faculty salaries to the AAMC western region median, allowing correction of gender-based salary inequity. Time to promotion and retention was similar between female and male faculty.

Barriers to Goal-concordant Care for Older Patients With Acute Surgical Illness: Communication Patterns Extrinsic to Decision Aids.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to characterize patterns of communication extrinsic to a decision aid that may impede goal-concordant care. BACKGROUND: Decision aids are designed to facilitate difficult clinical decisions by providing better treatment information. However, these interventions may not be sufficient to effectively reveal patient values and promote preference-aligned decisions for seriously ill, older adults. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of 31 decision-making conversations between surgeons and frail, older inpatients with acute surgical problems at a single tertiary care hospital. Conversations occurred before and after surgeons were trained to use a decision aid. We used directed qualitative content analysis to characterize patterns within 3 communication elements: disclosure of prognosis, elicitation of patient preferences, and integration of preferences into a treatment recommendation. RESULTS: First, surgeons missed an opportunity to break bad news. By focusing on the acute surgical problem and need to make a treatment decision, surgeons failed to expose the life-limiting nature of the patient's illness. Second, surgeons asked patients to express preference for a specific treatment without gaining knowledge about the patient's priorities or exploring how patients might value specific health states or disabilities. Third, many surgeons struggled to integrate patients' goals and values to make a treatment recommendation. Instead, they presented options and noted, "It's your decision." CONCLUSIONS: A decision aid alone may be insufficient to facilitate a decision that is truly shared. Attention to elements beyond provision of treatment information has the potential to improve communication and promote goal-concordant care for seriously ill older patients.

Ensuring Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Academic Surgery: An American Surgical Association White Paper.

OBJECTIVE: The leadership of the American Surgical Association (ASA) appointed a Task Force to objectively address issues related to equity, diversity, and inclusion with the discipline of academic surgery. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Surgeons and the discipline of surgery, particularly academic surgery, have a tradition of leadership both in medicine and society. Currently, we are being challenged to harness our innate curiosity, hard work, and perseverance to address the historically significant deficiencies within our field in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion. METHODS: The ASA leadership requested members to volunteer to serve on a Task Force to comprehensively address equity, diversity, and inclusion in academic surgery. Nine work groups reviewed the current literature, performed primary qualitative interviews, and distilled available guidelines and published primary source materials. A work product was created and published on the ASA Website and made available to the public. The full work product was summarized into this White Paper. RESULTS: The ASA has produced a handbook entitled: Ensuring Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Academic Surgery, which identifies issues and challenges, and develops a set of solutions and benchmarks to aid the academic surgical community in achieving these goals. CONCLUSION: Surgery must identify areas for improvement and work iteratively to address and correct past deficiencies. This requires honest and ongoing identification and correction of implicit and explicit biases. Increasing diversity in our departments, residencies, and universities will improve patient care, enhance productivity, augment community connections, and achieve our most fundamental ambition-doing good for our patients.

Patient-reported Limitations to Surgical Buy-in: A Qualitative Study of Patients Facing High-risk Surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize how patients buy-in to treatments beyond the operating room and what limits they would place on additional life-supporting treatments. BACKGROUND: During a high-risk operation, surgeons generally assume that patients buy-in to life-supporting interventions that might be necessary postoperatively. How patients understand this agreement and their willingness to participate in additional treatment is unknown. METHODS: We purposively sampled surgeons in Toronto, Ontario, Boston, Massachusetts, and Madison, Wisconsin, who are good communicators and routinely perform high-risk operations. We audio-recorded their conversations with patients considering high-risk surgery. For patients who were then scheduled for surgery, we performed open-ended preoperative and postoperative interviews. We used directed qualitative content analysis to analyze the interviews and surgeon visits, specifically evaluating the content about the use of postoperative life support. RESULTS: We recorded 43 patients' conversations with surgeons, 34 preoperative, and 27 postoperative interviews. Patients expressed trust in their surgeon to make decisions about additional treatments if a serious complication occurred, yet expressed a preference for significant treatment limitations that were not discussed with their surgeon preoperatively. Patients valued the existence or creation of an advance directive preoperatively, but they did not discuss this directive with their surgeon. Instead they assumed it would be effective if needed and that family members knew their wishes. CONCLUSIONS: Patients implicitly trust their surgeons to treat postoperative complications as they arise. Although patients may buy-in to some additional postoperative interventions, they hold a broad range of preferences for treatment limitations that were not discussed with the surgeon preoperatively.

Family Presence During Resuscitation After Trauma.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of family presence during resuscitation (FPDR) in patients who survived trauma from motor vehicle crashes (MVC) and gunshot wounds (GSW). A convenience sample of family members participated within three days of admission to critical care. Family members of 140 trauma patients (MVC n = 110, 79%; GSW n = 30, 21%) participated. Family members ranged in age from 20-84 years (M = 46, SD = 15, Mdn = 47). The majority were female (n = 112, 80%) and related to the patient as spouse (n = 46, 33%). Participating in the FPDR option reduced anxiety (t = -2.43, p =.04), reduced stress (t = -2.86, p = .005), and fostered well-being (t = 3.46, p = .001). Results demonstrate the positive initial effects of FPDR on family members of patients surviving trauma injury.

Constructing High-stakes Surgical Decisions: It's Better to Die Trying.

OBJECTIVE: To explore high-stakes surgical decision making from the perspective of seniors and surgeons. BACKGROUND: A majority of older chronically ill patients would decline a low-risk procedure if the outcome was severe functional impairment. However, 25% of Medicare beneficiaries have surgery in their last 3 months of life, which may be inconsistent with their preferences. How patients make decisions to have surgery may contribute to this problem of unwanted care. METHODS: We convened 4 focus groups at senior centers and 2 groups of surgeons in Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where we showed a video about a decision regarding a choice between surgery and palliative care. We used qualitative content analysis to identify themes about communication and explanatory models for end-of-life treatment decisions. RESULTS: Seniors (n = 37) and surgeons (n = 17) agreed that maximizing quality of life should guide treatment decisions for older patients. However, when faced with an acute choice between surgery and palliative care, seniors viewed this either as a choice between life and death or a decision about how to die. Although surgeons agreed that very frail patients should not have surgery, they held conflicting views about presenting treatment options. CONCLUSIONS: Seniors and surgeons highly value quality of life, but this notion is difficult to incorporate in acute surgical decisions. Some seniors use these values to consider a choice between surgery and palliative care, whereas others view this as a simple choice between life and death. Surgeons acknowledge challenges framing decisions and describe a clinical momentum that promotes surgical intervention.

"And I think that we can fix it": mental models used in high-risk surgical decision making.

OBJECTIVE: To examine how surgeons use the "fix-it" model to communicate with patients before high-risk operations. BACKGROUND: The "fix-it" model characterizes disease as an isolated abnormality that can be restored to normal form and function through medical intervention. This mental model is familiar to patients and physicians, but it is ineffective for chronic conditions and treatments that cannot achieve normalcy. Overuse may lead to permissive decision making favoring intervention. Efforts to improve surgical decision making will need to consider how mental models function in clinical practice, including "fix-it." METHODS: We observed surgeons who routinely perform high-risk surgery during preoperative discussions with patients. We used qualitative content analysis to explore the use of "fix-it" in 48 audio-recorded conversations. RESULTS: Surgeons used the "fix-it" model for 2 separate purposes during preoperative conversations: (1) as an explanatory tool to facilitate patient understanding of disease and surgery, and (2) as a deliberation framework to assist in decision making. Although surgeons commonly used "fix-it" as an explanatory model, surgeons explicitly discussed limitations of the "fix-it" model as an independent rationale for operating as they deliberated about the value of surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Although the use of "fix-it" is familiar for explaining medical information to patients, surgeons recognize that the model can be problematic for determining the value of an operation. Whether patients can transition between understanding how their disease is fixed with surgery to a subsequent deliberation about whether they should have surgery is unclear and may have broader implications for surgical decision making.

Detailed description of all deaths in both the shock and traumatic brain injury hypertonic saline trials of the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium.

OBJECTIVE: To identify causes and timing of mortality in trauma patients to determine targets for future studies. BACKGROUND: In trials conducted by the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium in patients with traumatic hypovolemic shock (shock) or traumatic brain injury (TBI), hypertonic saline failed to improve survival. Selecting appropriate candidates is challenging. METHODS: Retrospective review of patients enrolled in multicenter, randomized trials performed from 2006 to 2009. Inclusion criteria were as follows: injured patients, age 15 years or more with hypovolemic shock [systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≤ 70 mm Hg or SBP 71-90 mm Hg with heart rate ≥ 108) or severe TBI [Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) ≤ 8]. Initial fluid administered was 250 mL of either 7.5% saline with 6% dextran 70, 7.5% saline or 0.9% saline. RESULTS: A total of 2061 subjects were enrolled (809 shock, 1252 TBI) and 571 (27.7%) died. Survivors were younger than nonsurvivors [30 (interquartile range 23) vs 42 (34)] and had a higher GCS, though similar hemodynamics. Most deaths occurred despite ongoing resuscitation. Forty-six percent of deaths in the TBI cohort were within 24 hours, compared with 82% in the shock cohort and 72% in the cohort with both shock and TBI. Median time to death was 29 hours in the TBI cohort, 2 hours in the shock cohort, and 4 hours in patients with both. Sepsis and multiple organ dysfunction accounted for 2% of deaths. CONCLUSIONS: Most deaths from trauma with shock or TBI occur within 24 hours from hypovolemic shock or TBI. Novel resuscitation strategies should focus on early deaths, though prevention may have a greater impact.

Integrating Palliative Care Into the Care of Neurocritically Ill Patients: A Report From the Improving Palliative Care in the ICU Project Advisory Board and the Center to Advance Palliative Care.

OBJECTIVES: To describe unique features of neurocritical illness that are relevant to provision of high-quality palliative care; to discuss key prognostic aids and their limitations for neurocritical illnesses; to review challenges and strategies for establishing realistic goals of care for patients in the neuro-ICU; and to describe elements of best practice concerning symptom management, limitation of life support, and organ donation for the neurocritically ill. DATA SOURCES: A search of PubMed and MEDLINE was conducted from inception through January 2015 for all English-language articles using the term "palliative care," "supportive care," "end-of-life care," "withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy," "limitation of life support," "prognosis," or "goals of care" together with "neurocritical care," "neurointensive care," "neurological," "stroke," "subarachnoid hemorrhage," "intracerebral hemorrhage," or "brain injury." DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: We reviewed the existing literature on delivery of palliative care in the neurointensive care unit setting, focusing on challenges and strategies for establishing realistic and appropriate goals of care, symptom management, organ donation, and other considerations related to use and limitation of life-sustaining therapies for neurocritically ill patients. Based on review of these articles and the experiences of our interdisciplinary/interprofessional expert advisory board, this report was prepared to guide critical care staff, palliative care specialists, and others who practice in this setting. CONCLUSIONS: Most neurocritically ill patients and their families face the sudden onset of devastating cognitive and functional changes that challenge clinicians to provide patient-centered palliative care within a complex and often uncertain prognostic environment. Application of palliative care principles concerning symptom relief, goal setting, and family emotional support will provide clinicians a framework to address decision making at a time of crisis that enhances patient/family autonomy and clinician professionalism.

Palliative care training in surgical oncology and hepatobiliary fellowships: a national survey of the fellows.

BACKGROUND: Surgical oncologists (SO) and hepatobiliary (HPB) surgeons frequently care for patients with advanced diseases near the end of life, yet little is known about their training, comfort, and readiness in the provision of palliative care. This study sought to assess the quality, adequacy, and extent of palliative care training and the readiness of SO and HPB fellows in delivering palliative care. METHODS: A self-administered survey was distributed to all fellows enrolled in Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) and HPB fellowships during the 2013-2014 academic year. The survey assessed attitudes, training, experience, and readiness of fellows in caring for patients at the end of life. Descriptive analysis was performed, and Chi square, Student's t test, and the Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare mean or median values as appropriate. RESULTS: The response rate was 47.2 %, and 50.9 % of the fellows reported exposure to a palliative care specialty service during their fellowship. Of the study participants, 75 % observed their faculty discussing the side effects of surgery compared with 54 % who observed faculty communication with patients regarding end-of-life goals (p < 0.01). On the other hand, 40 % of the fellows were never observed by faculty discussing symptoms management, goals of care, or hospice referral with patients, and 56.7 % never received feedback on their palliative skills. CONCLUSION: The fellows rated the quality of their palliative care education as poor compared with other aspects of their fellowship training, implying the lack and need of palliative care teaching. Surgical oncology and HPB fellows and ultimately patients may benefit from increased clinical and didactic palliative care training.

Sarcopenia and frailty in elderly trauma patients.

BACKGROUND: Sarcopenia describes a loss of muscle mass and resultant decrease in strength, mobility, and function that can be quantified by CT. We hypothesized that sarcopenia and related frailty characteristics are related to discharge disposition after blunt traumatic injury in the elderly. METHODS: We reviewed charts of 252 elderly blunt trauma patients who underwent abdominal CT prior to hospital admission. Data for thirteen frailty characteristics were abstracted. Sarcopenia was measured by obtaining skeletal muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) from each patient's psoas major muscle using Slice-O-Matic(®) software. Dispositions were grouped as dependent and independent based on discharge location. χ (2), Fisher's exact, and logistic regression were used to determine factors associated with discharge dependence. RESULTS: Mean age 76 years, 49 % male, median ISS 9.0 (IQR = 8.0-17.0). Discharge destination was independent in 61.5 %, dependent in 29 %, and 9.5 % of patients died. Each 1 cm(2) increase in psoas muscle CSA was associated with a 20 % decrease in dependent living (p < 0.0001). Gender, weakness, hospital complication, and cognitive impairment were also associated with disposition; ISS was not (p = 0.4754). CONCLUSIONS: Lower psoas major muscle CSA is related to discharge destination in elderly trauma patients and can be obtained from the admission CT. Lower psoas muscle CSA is related to loss of independence upon discharge in the elderly. The early availability of this variable during the hospitalization of elderly trauma patients may aid in discharge planning and the transition to dependent living.

A Comparison of Invasive Airway Management and Rates of Pneumonia in Prehospital and Hospital Settings.

INTRODUCTION: Infection is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in trauma. Infection in trauma is poorly understood. The impact of prehospital invasive airway management (IAM) on the incidence of pneumonia and health services utilization is unknown. We hypothesized that trauma patients exposed to prehospital IAM will suffer higher rates of pneumonia compared to no IAM or exposure to IAM performed in the hospital. We hypothesized that patients who develop pneumonia subsequent to prehospital IAM will have longer intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital length of stay (LOS) compared to patients who acquired pneumonia after IAM performed in the hospital. METHODS: This is an observational cohort study of data previously collected for the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium hypertonic resuscitation randomized trial. Patients were included if traumatic injury resulted in shock, traumatic brain injury, or both. Patients were excluded if they died 24 hours after injury, or pneumonia data were missing. Adjusted and unadjusted logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio of pneumonia if exposed in the prehospital setting compared to no exposure or exposure in the hospital. RESULTS: Of 2,222 patients enrolled in the hypertonic resuscitation trial, 1,676 patients met enrollment criteria for this study. Four and a half percent of patients suffered pneumonia. IAM in the prehospital setting resulted in 6.8-fold increase (C.I. 2.0, 23.0, p = 0.003) in the adjusted odds of developing pneumonia compared to not being intubated, while in-hospital intubation resulted in 4.8-fold increase (C.I. 1.4, 16.6, p = 0.01), which was not statistically significantly different to the odds ratio of prehospital IAM. There were no statistically significant increases in health services utilization resulting from pneumonia incurred after IAM. CONCLUSION: Exposure to IAM in prehospital and hospital settings results in an increase in pneumonia, but there does not appear to be a link between the source of pneumonia and an increase in ICU or hospital LOS.

Transfusion of plasma, platelets, and red blood cells in a 1:1:1 vs a 1:1:2 ratio and mortality in patients with severe trauma: the PROPPR randomized clinical trial.

IMPORTANCE: Severely injured patients experiencing hemorrhagic shock often require massive transfusion. Earlier transfusion with higher blood product ratios (plasma, platelets, and red blood cells), defined as damage control resuscitation, has been associated with improved outcomes; however, there have been no large multicenter clinical trials. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness and safety of transfusing patients with severe trauma and major bleeding using plasma, platelets, and red blood cells in a 1:1:1 ratio compared with a 1:1:2 ratio. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Pragmatic, phase 3, multisite, randomized clinical trial of 680 severely injured patients who arrived at 1 of 12 level I trauma centers in North America directly from the scene and were predicted to require massive transfusion between August 2012 and December 2013. INTERVENTIONS: Blood product ratios of 1:1:1 (338 patients) vs 1:1:2 (342 patients) during active resuscitation in addition to all local standard-of-care interventions (uncontrolled). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Primary outcomes were 24-hour and 30-day all-cause mortality. Prespecified ancillary outcomes included time to hemostasis, blood product volumes transfused, complications, incidence of surgical procedures, and functional status. RESULTS: No significant differences were detected in mortality at 24 hours (12.7% in 1:1:1 group vs 17.0% in 1:1:2 group; difference, -4.2% [95% CI, -9.6% to 1.1%]; P = .12) or at 30 days (22.4% vs 26.1%, respectively; difference, -3.7% [95% CI, -10.2% to 2.7%]; P = .26). Exsanguination, which was the predominant cause of death within the first 24 hours, was significantly decreased in the 1:1:1 group (9.2% vs 14.6% in 1:1:2 group; difference, -5.4% [95% CI, -10.4% to -0.5%]; P = .03). More patients in the 1:1:1 group achieved hemostasis than in the 1:1:2 group (86% vs 78%, respectively; P = .006). Despite the 1:1:1 group receiving more plasma (median of 7 U vs 5 U, P < .001) and platelets (12 U vs 6 U, P < .001) and similar amounts of red blood cells (9 U) over the first 24 hours, no differences between the 2 groups were found for the 23 prespecified complications, including acute respiratory distress syndrome, multiple organ failure, venous thromboembolism, sepsis, and transfusion-related complications. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among patients with severe trauma and major bleeding, early administration of plasma, platelets, and red blood cells in a 1:1:1 ratio compared with a 1:1:2 ratio did not result in significant differences in mortality at 24 hours or at 30 days. However, more patients in the 1:1:1 group achieved hemostasis and fewer experienced death due to exsanguination by 24 hours. Even though there was an increased use of plasma and platelets transfused in the 1:1:1 group, no other safety differences were identified between the 2 groups. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01545232.

It's big surgery: preoperative expressions of risk, responsibility, and commitment to treatment after high-risk operations.

OBJECTIVE: To identify the processes, surgeons use to establish patient buy-in to postoperative treatments. BACKGROUND: Surgeons generally believe they confirm the patient's commitment to an operation and all ensuing postoperative care, before surgery. How surgeons get buy-in and whether patients participate in this agreement is unknown. METHODS: We used purposive sampling to identify 3 surgeons from different subspecialties who routinely perform high-risk operations at each of 3 distinct medical centers (Toronto, Ontario; Boston, Massachusetts; Madison, Wisconsin). We recorded preoperative conversations with 3 to 7 patients facing high-risk surgery with each surgeon (n = 48) and used content analysis to analyze each preoperative conversation inductively. RESULTS: Surgeons conveyed the gravity of high-risk operations to patients by emphasizing the operation is "big surgery" and that a decision to proceed invoked a serious commitment for both the surgeon and the patient. Surgeons were frank about the potential for serious complications and the need for intensive care. They rarely discussed the use of prolonged life-supporting treatment, and patients' questions were primarily confined to logistic or technical concerns. Surgeons regularly proceeded through the conversation in a manner that suggested they believed buy-in was achieved, but this agreement was rarely forged explicitly. CONCLUSIONS: Surgeons who perform high-risk operations communicate the risks of surgery and express their commitment to the patient's survival. However, they rarely discuss prolonged life-supporting treatments explicitly and patients do not discuss their preferences. It is not possible to determine patients' desires for prolonged postoperative life support on the basis of these preoperative conversations alone.

Increased trauma center volume is associated with improved survival after severe injury: results of a Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between trauma center volume and outcome. BACKGROUND: The Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium is a network of 11 centers and 60 hospitals conducting emergency care research. For many procedures, high-volume centers demonstrate superior outcomes versus low-volume centers. This remains controversial for trauma center outcomes. METHODS: This study was a secondary analysis of prospectively collected data from the Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium multicenter out-of-hospital Hypertonic Saline Trial in patients with Glasgow Coma Scale score of 8 or less (traumatic brain injury) or systolic blood pressure of 90 or less and pulse of 110 or more (shock). Regression analyses evaluated associations between trauma volume and the following outcomes: 24-hour mortality, 28-day mortality, ventilator-free days, Multiple Organ Dysfunction Scale incidence, worst Multiple Organ Dysfunction Scale score, and poor 6-month Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended score. RESULTS: A total of 2070 patients were evaluated: 1251 in the traumatic brain injury cohort and 819 in the shock cohort. Overall, 24-hour and 28-day mortality was 16% and 25%, respectively. For every increase of 500 trauma center admissions, there was a 7% decreased odds of 24-hour and 28-day mortality for all patients. As trauma center volume increased, nonorgan dysfunction complications increased, ventilator-free days increased, and worst Multiple Organ Dysfunction Scale score decreased. The associations with higher trauma center volume were similar for the traumatic brain injury cohort, including better neurologic outcomes at 6 months, but not for the shock cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Increased trauma center volume was associated with increased survival, more ventilator-free days, and less severe organ failure. Trauma system planning and implementation should avoid unnecessary duplication of services.

Risk of motor vehicle collision associated with cannabis and alcohol use among patients presenting for emergency care.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between cannabis and alcohol use and occurrence of motor vehicle collision (MVC) among patients in the emergency department (ED). METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study of visits to EDs in Denver, CO, Portland, OR, and Sacramento, CA by drivers who were involved in MVCs and presented with injuries (cases) and non-injured drivers (controls) who presented for medical care. We obtained blood samples and measured delta-9-THC and its metabolites. Alcohol levels were determined by breathalyzer or samples taken in the course of clinical care. Participants completed a research-assistant-administered interview consisting of questions about drug and alcohol use prior to their visit, context of use, and past-year drug and alcohol use. Multiple logistic regression was used to estimate the association between MVC and cannabis/alcohol use, adjusted for demographic characteristics. We then stratified participants based on levels of cannabis use and calculated the odds of MVC across these levels, first using self-report and then using blood levels for delta-9-THC in separate models. We conducted a case-crossover analysis, using 7-day look-back data to allow each participant to serve as their own control. Sensitivity analyses examined the influence of usual use patterns and driving in a closed (car, truck, van) versus open (motorcycle, motorbike, all-terrain vehicle) vehicle. RESULTS: Cannabis alone was not associated with higher odds of MVC, while acute alcohol use alone, and combined use of alcohol and cannabis were both independently associated with higher odds of MVC. Stratifying by level of self-reported or measured cannabis use, higher levels were not associated with higher odds for MVC, with or without co-use of alcohol; in fact, high self-reported acute cannabis use was associated with lower odds of MVC (odds ratio [OR] 0.18, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.05-0.65). In the case-crossover analysis, alcohol use alone or in combination with cannabis was associated with higher odds of MVC, while cannabis use alone was again associated with decreased odds of MVC. CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol use alone or in conjunction with cannabis was consistently associated with higer odds for MVC. However, the relationship between measured levels of cannabis and MVC was not as clear. Emphasis on actual driving behaviors and clinical signs of intoxication to determine driving under the influence has the strongest rationale.