Tourniquet use for civilian extremity hemorrhage: systematic review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION: extremity tourniquet (TQ) use has increased in the civilian setting; the beneficial results observed in the military has influenced acceptance by EMS and bystanders. This review aimed to analyze extremity TQ types used in the civilian setting, injury site, indications, and complications. METHODS: a systematic review was conducted based on original articles published in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane following PRISMA guidelines from 2010 to 2019. Data extraction focused on extremity TQ use for hemorrhage control in the civilian setting, demographic data, study type and duration, mechanism of injury, indications for use, injury site, TQ type, TQ time, and complications. RESULTS: of the 1384 articles identified, 14 were selected for review with a total of 3912 civilian victims with extremity hemorrhage and 3522 extremity TQ placements analyzed. The majority of TQs were applied to male (79%) patients, with blunt or penetrating trauma. Among the indications for TQ use were hemorrhagic shock, suspicion of vascular injuries, continued bleeding, and partial or complete traumatic amputations. Upper extremity application was the most common TQ application site (56%), nearly all applied to a single extremity (99%), and only 0,6% required both upper and lower extremity applications. 80% of the applied TQs were commercial devices, and 20% improvised. CONCLUSIONS: TQ use in the civilian setting is associated with trauma-related injuries. Most are single-site TQs applied for the most part to male adults with upper extremity injury. Commercial TQs are more commonly employed, time in an urban setting is under 1 hour, with few complications described.

Tourniquet use for civilian extremity hemorrhage: systematic review of the literature / Uso de torniquete nas hemorragias de extremidades na população civil: revisão sistemática da literatura

ABSTRACT Introduction: extremity tourniquet (TQ) use has increased in the civilian setting; the beneficial results observed in the military has influenced acceptance by EMS and bystanders. This review aimed to analyze extremity TQ types used in the civilian setting, injury site, indications, and complications. Methods: a systematic review was conducted based on original articles published in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane following PRISMA guidelines from 2010 to 2019. Data extraction focused on extremity TQ use for hemorrhage control in the civilian setting, demographic data, study type and duration, mechanism of injury, indications for use, injury site, TQ type, TQ time, and complications. Results: of the 1384 articles identified, 14 were selected for review with a total of 3912 civilian victims with extremity hemorrhage and 3522 extremity TQ placements analyzed. The majority of TQs were applied to male (79%) patients, with blunt or penetrating trauma. Among the indications for TQ use were hemorrhagic shock, suspicion of vascular injuries, continued bleeding, and partial or complete traumatic amputations. Upper extremity application was the most common TQ application site (56%), nearly all applied to a single extremity (99%), and only 0,6% required both upper and lower extremity applications. 80% of the applied TQs were commercial devices, and 20% improvised. Conclusions: TQ use in the civilian setting is associated with trauma-related injuries. Most are single-site TQs applied for the most part to male adults with upper extremity injury. Commercial TQs are more commonly employed, time in an urban setting is under 1 hour, with few complications described.

RESUMO Introdução: o uso de torniquete em extremidades (TQ) aumentou no ambiente civil; os resultados benéficos observados nas forças armadas influenciaram a aceitação por equipes de pré-hospitalar (PH) assim como pela população leiga. Esta revisão teve como objetivo analisar os tipos de TQ de extremidades usados em ambiente civil, local da lesão, indicações e complicações. Métodos: revisão sistemática foi conduzida com base em artigos originais publicados no PubMed, Embase e Cochrane seguindo as diretrizes do PRISMA de 2010 a 2019. Extração de dados focada no uso de TQ de extremidade para controle de hemorragia em ambiente civil, dados demográficos, tipo de estudo e duração, mecanismo de lesão, indicações de uso, local da lesão, tipo de TQ, tempo de TQ e complicações. Resultados: dos 1.384 artigos identificados, 14 foram selecionados para revisão com total de 3.912 vítimas civis com hemorragia nas extremidades e 3.522 colocações de extremidades TQ analisadas. A maioria foi aplicado em pacientes do sexo masculino (79%), com trauma contuso ou penetrante. Entre as indicações estavam choque hemorrágico, suspeita de lesões vasculares, sangramento contínuo e amputações traumáticas parciais ou completas. A aplicação na extremidade superior foi o local de aplicação mais comum (56%), quase todos aplicados a uma única extremidade (99%), e apenas 0,6% requereram aplicações nas extremidades superior e inferior. 80% dos TQs aplicados eram dispositivos comerciais e 20% improvisados. Conclusões: o uso de TQ em ambientes civis está associado a traumas. Os TQs comerciais são mais utilizados, com tempo menor que uma hora de uso e poucas complicações.

The trauma and acute care surgeon in the COVID-19 pandemic era.

The World Health Organization recognized in March 2020 the existence of a pandemic for the new coronavirus that appeared in China, in late 2019, and whose disease was named COVID-19. In this context, the SBAIT (Brazilian Society of Integrated Care for Traumatized Patients) conducted a survey with 219 trauma and emergency surgeons regarding the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the role of the surgeon in this pandemic by means of an electronic survey. It was observed that surgeons have been acting under inadequate conditions, with a lack of basic supplies as well as more specific equipment such as N95 masks and facial shields for the care of potential victims who may be contaminated. The latter increases the risk of contamination of professionals, resulting in potential losses in the working teams. Immediate measures must be taken to guarantee access to safety equipment throughout the country, since all trauma victims and/or patients with emergency surgical conditions must be treated as potential carriers of COVID-19.

The trauma and acute care surgeon in the COVID-19 pandemic era.

The World Health Organization recognized in March 2020 the existence of a pandemic for the new coronavirus that appeared in China, in late 2019, and whose disease was named COVID-19. In this context, the SBAIT (Brazilian Society of Integrated Care for Traumatized Patients) conducted a survey with 219 trauma and emergency surgeons regarding the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the role of the surgeon in this pandemic by means of an electronic survey. It was observed that surgeons have been acting under inadequate conditions, with a lack of basic supplies as well as more specific equipment such as N95 masks and facial shields for the care of potential victims who may be contaminated. The latter increases the risk of contamination of professionals, resulting in potential losses in the working teams. Immediate measures must be taken to guarantee access to safety equipment throughout the country, since all trauma victims and/or patients with emergency surgical conditions must be treated as potential carriers of COVID-19.

The trauma and acute care surgeon in the COVID-19 pandemic era / O cirurgião de trauma e emergência na era da pandemia de COVID-19

ABSTRACT The World Health Organization recognized in March 2020 the existence of a pandemic for the new coronavirus that appeared in China, in late 2019, and whose disease was named COVID-19. In this context, the SBAIT (Brazilian Society of Integrated Care for Traumatized Patients) conducted a survey with 219 trauma and emergency surgeons regarding the availability of personal protective equipment (PPE) and the role of the surgeon in this pandemic by means of an electronic survey. It was observed that surgeons have been acting under inadequate conditions, with a lack of basic supplies as well as more specific equipment such as N95 masks and facial shields for the care of potential victims who may be contaminated. The latter increases the risk of contamination of professionals, resulting in potential losses in the working teams. Immediate measures must be taken to guarantee access to safety equipment throughout the country, since all trauma victims and/or patients with emergency surgical conditions must be treated as potential carriers of COVID-19.

RESUMO A Organização Mundial de Saúde reconheceu a partir de março de 2020 a existência de uma pandemia do novo coronavírus que surgiu na China no final de 2019, e cuja doença foi denominada COVID-19. Neste contexto, a SBAIT (Sociedade Brasileira de Atendimento Integrado ao Traumatizado) realizou pesquisa com 219 cirurgiões de Trauma e de Urgências e Emergências a respeito de disponibilidade de equipamentos de proteção individual (EPI) e do papel do cirurgião nesta pandemia, por meio de formulário eletrônico. Observou-se que os cirurgiões vêm atuando em condições inadequadas, com falta de insumos básicos assim como equipamentos mais específicos, como máscaras N95 e protetores faciais, para a atenção de potenciais vítimas que estejam contaminadas. Isso eleva o risco de contaminação dos profissionais e causa decorrentes baixas na força de trabalho. Medidas imediatas devem ser adotadas para garantir o acesso aos equipamentos de segurança em todo país uma vez que, todos os pacientes vítimas de trauma e/ou portadores de doenças cirúrgicas de urgência devem ser tratados como potenciais portadores do COVID-19.

The role of point-of-care ultrasound in intra-abdominal hypertension management.

BACKGROUND: Intra-abdominal hypertension is a common complication in critically ill patients. Recently the Abdominal Compartment Society (WSACS) developed a medical management algorithm with a stepwise approach according to the evolution of the intra-abdominal pressure and aiming to keep IAP ≤ 15 mm Hg. With the increased use of ultrasound as a bedside modality in both emergency and critical care patients, we hypothesized that ultrasound could be used as an adjuvant point-of-care tool during IAH management. This may be particularly relevant to the first and second basic stages of the algorithm. The objective of this paper is to test the use of POCUS as an adjuvant tool in the management of patients with IAH/ACS. METHODS: Seventy-three consecutive adult critically ill patients admitted to the surgical intensive care unit (ICU) of a single urban institution with risk factor for IAH/ACS were enrolled. Those who met the inclusion criteria were allocated to undergo POCUS as an adjuvant tool in their IAH/ACS management. RESULTS: A total of 50 patients met the inclusion criteria and were included in the study. The mean age of study participants was 55 ± 22.6 years, 58% were men, and the most frequent admission diagnosis was post-operative care following abdominal intervention. All admitted patients presented with a degree of IAH during their ICU stay. Following step 1 of the WSACS IAH medical management algorithm, ultrasound was used for NGT placement, confirmation of correct positioning, and evaluation of stomach contents. Ultrasound was comparable to abdominal X-ray, but shown to be superior in determining the gastric content (fluid vs. solid). Furthermore, POCUS allowed faster determination of correct NGT positioning in the stomach (antrum), avoiding bedside radiation exposure. Ultrasound also proved useful in: 1) evaluation of bowel activity; 2) identification of large bowel contents; 3) identification of patients that would benefit from bowel evacuation (enema) as an adjuvant to lower IAP; 4) and in the diagnosis of moderate to large amounts of free intra-abdominal fluid. CONCLUSION: POCUS is a powerful systematic ultrasound technique that can be used as an adjuvant in intra-abdominal hypertension management. It has the potential to be used in both diagnosis and treatment during the course of IAH.

Epidemiology of in-hospital trauma deaths in a Brazilian university hospital.

BACKGROUND: The analysis of patterns of trauma deaths may improve the evaluation of a trauma system and identify areas that may benefit from more resources. The objective of this study was to analyze the epidemiology of trauma deaths in a Brazilian university hospital in order to assess the profile of these fatalities over a 16-year period. METHOD: Retrospective study of time series using database records. The research subjects were in-hospital deaths from external causes during the years 1995, 2000, 2005 and 2010. The following variables were analyzed: cause of injury, trauma scores, time and cause of death. RESULTS: 467 cases were studied, being 325 patients (69.6%) admitted with signs of life and 142 (30.4%) considered dead on arrival. The mean age was 35.35 ± 18.03 years. 85.4% were males. Blunt trauma occurred in 73.0% of cases and penetrating mechanism in 27.0%. There was a significant increase (p < 0.001) in deaths from motorcycle crashes over the years, which went from 7.3% in 1995 to 31.5% in 2010. In contrast, there was a significant decrease (p = 0.030) in firearm-injury victims; from 21.0% in 1995 to 9.6% in 2010. About 60% of deaths occurred less than 24 hours after admission. The main causes of death were lesions of the central nervous system (56.3% of the total), followed by hemorrhagic shock (18.1%) and sepsis/multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (17.1%). The mean Injury Severity Score (ISS) of patients with signs of life was 26.41 ± 9.00, 71.3% of whom had ISS >25. The mean Revised Trauma Score (RTS) was 5.24 ± 2.05. Only 25.8% of the deaths had TRISS <0.50. CONCLUSION: There was a shift in the profile of causes of death from trauma in this university teaching hospital, with a large decrease in penetrating injuries and a higher incidence of deaths of motorcycle riders.