Accuracy of National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2) in Prehospital Triage on In-Hospital Early Mortality: A Multi-Center Observational Prospective Cohort Study.

INTRODUCTION: In cases of mass-casualty incidents (MCIs), triage represents a fundamental tool for the management of and assistance to the wounded, which helps discriminate not only the priority of attention, but also the priority of referral to the most suitable center. HYPOTHESIS/PROBLEM: The objective of this study was to evaluate the capacity of different prehospital triage systems based on physiological parameters (Shock Index [SI], Glasgow-Age-Pressure Score [GAP], Revised Trauma Score [RTS], and National Early Warning Score 2 [NEWS2]) to predict early mortality (within 48 hours) from the index event for use in MCIs. METHODS: This was a longitudinal prospective observational multi-center study on patients who were attended by Advanced Life Support (ALS) units and transferred to the emergency department (ED) of their reference hospital. Collected were: demographic, physiological, and clinical variables; main diagnosis; and data on early mortality. The main outcome variable was mortality from any cause within 48 hours. RESULTS: From April 1, 2018 through February 28, 2019, a total of 1,288 patients were included in this study. Of these, 262 (20.3%) participants required assistance for trauma and injuries by external agents. Early mortality within the first 48 hours due to any cause affected 69 patients (5.4%). The system with the best predictive capacity was the NEWS2 with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.891 (95% CI, 0.84-0.94); a sensitivity of 79.7% (95% CI, 68.8-87.5); and a specificity of 84.5% (95% CI, 82.4-86.4) for a cut-off point of nine points, with a positive likelihood ratio of 5.14 (95% CI, 4.31-6.14) and a negative predictive value of 98.7% (95% CI, 97.8-99.2). CONCLUSION: Prehospital scores of the NEWS2 are easy to obtain and represent a reliable test, which make it an ideal system to help in the initial assessment of high-risk patients, and to determine their level of triage effectively and efficiently. The Prehospital Emergency Medical System (PhEMS) should evaluate the inclusion of the NEWS2 as a triage system, which is especially useful for the second triage (evacuation priority).

Operation continued care: A large mass-casualty, full-scale exercise as a test of regional preparedness.

BACKGROUND: Our regional trauma organization, which comprises 7 trauma centers, 30 acute care hospitals and free-standing emergency departments, and 42 emergency medical services agencies, conducted possibly the largest mass-casualty drill to date, totaling 445 victims at 3 sites involving 11 hospitals and 25 agencies and organizations. METHODS: The drill was preceded by a tabletop exercise 4 months beforehand called Operation Continued Care Full-Scale Exercise, which consisted of simulated terrorist events at 3 sites to wound 445 moulaged patients. Four law enforcement and 5 fire and emergency medical services departments and 16 supporting organizations and agencies were involved in transporting patients to 11 different hospitals. The 7 objectives for the event addressed coordinating emergency operations, sustaining adequate communications, updating regional bed status, processing resource requests, triaging patients, tracking patients, and patient identification. RESULTS: Of the 445 transported patients, 270 (60%) were entered correctly into the state patient tracking system; 68 (25.2%) upgrades and 34 (12.6%) downgrades from scene triage categories were noted. Multiple opportunities for improvement were identified, with major weaknesses noted in communication and coordination from event sites to the regional trauma organizations and hospitals. CONCLUSION: The size and complexity of the drill provided experience and knowledge to facilitate future disaster preparedness and highlighted weaknesses in communication and coordination. Large, multijurisdictional, multiagency exercises provide opportunities to stress, evaluate, and improve regional disaster preparedness.

The Emergency Medical System (EMS) response to Iraqi pilgrims' bus crash in Iran: a case report.

BACKGROUND: In Iran, Road Traffic Injuries (RTIs) with mass casualties occur repeatedly. Since Road Traffic Accidents (RTAs) occur far from health facilities, EMSs play an important role in reducing the disability and mortality resulting from RTIs. Thus, the study aimed to report Iraqi pilgrims' bus which rolled over in the Malayer town. CASE PRESENTATION: A mass casualty event occurred on 7 September 2017 when a bus full of Iraqi pilgrims rolled over on a road 4-km outside of Malayer, Iran. A large team of responders were dispatched including 5 ambulances with 10 EMTs along with 6 police officers serving in the area. The accident resulted in 35 injured patients (21 female and 14 male) as well as 11 deaths ranging in age from 2 to 65 years. Twenty-one of the injured were transported to the hospital and 14 patients refused transport and 12 patients sustained multiple trauma. The case has been described four phases of dispatch, on-scene, hospital and post-mission. Frequent calls made by laypeople were considered as the main challenge of dispatch phase. The response on scene was hampered by large numbers of lay bystanders. The over-crowding around the emergency units disrupted the medical care procedures in hospital phase. CONCLUSION: This case highlights over-crowding and laypeople interference at the scene disrupts the relief and rescue. To solve these challenges, the public education and police monitoring and control is recommended. Establishing a unified command post at the scene can facilitate effective coordination among relief and rescue organizations.

A civilian tactical survival chain for incidents involving multiple intentionalinjury victims: the Victory I Consensus Report. / Consenso Victoria I: la cadena de supervivencia táctica civil ante incidentes de múltiples víctimas intencionados.

EN: International guidelines recommend adapting military health care protocols to emergencies involving multiple intentional-injury victims in civilian environments. Adaptations can reflect similarities in types of injuries or issues of provider safety and that arise in military and some civilian emergencies. Because more experience with such incidents has been gained in the United States, most of the literature on this topic discusses emergency medical systems that differ from the ones operating in the autonomous communities of Spain, where varying resources and procedures are mandated by local authorities charged with preparing for emergencies. However, common elements are present, offering a framework and principles to apply when drafting evidence-based plans for effective, efficient response to multiple-victim emergencies. We think that participants at each point in the chain of survival must have clear missions and understand the roles they play in the various zones that comprise the scene of an emergency. Therefore this consensus paper attempts to define the relevant principles and roles for participants at all levels, from occasional first responders up to staff at trauma referral centers.

ES: Son múltiples las recomendaciones internacionales que aconsejan adaptar modelos asistenciales del entorno militar a incidentes de múltiples víctimas intencionados (IMVI) ocurridos en el entorno civil, bien por el tipo de patrón lesional, bien por aspectos de seguridad y autoprotección. Debido a la experiencia en Norteamérica, donde este tipo de situaciones son más frecuentes, casi toda la bibliografía y referencias existentes no se corresponden con un modelo de sistemas de emergencias médicas como el que existe en las distintas comunidades autónomas españolas, con sus diferentes medios y procedimientos tal y como viene estipulado por sus competencias exclusivas en esta materia. No obstante, se han detectado una serie de elementos comunes que pueden servir de referencia para elaborar un plan de respuesta a los IMVI, basados en la evidencia y utilizando principios de actuación dirigidos a una acción eficaz y eficiente. Pensamos que cada actor de los eslabones de esta cadena asistencial debe tener clara su misión, su rol y su función en las diferentes zonas de la escena, y así se intentan definir en este documento de consenso, desde un primer interviniente ocasional hasta la asistencia definitiva en los centros de referencia para pacientes traumatizados.

Excess mortality reduction given a "reduce patient mortality at all costs" scenario for mass burn casualties.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to estimate the effect on medical resource use and mortality of full financial support from the government for treatment costs after a mass burn casualty event in Taiwan. METHODS: All patients with burn injuries from the event were included (n = 483). Each burn patient from this incident was matched to a separate burn patient identified from the National Health Insurance database. Medical care usage and mortality were compared between groups at 1-, 3-, 6-, 9-, and 12-month intervals. RESULTS: Regarding outpatient expenditure, burn patients from the mass casualty event had significantly higher levels of medical expenditure compared with their control counterparts at all intervals and levels of medical institution. For inpatient expenditure, patients from the mass casualty event only had higher expenditure for the first month, and excess procedures used by these patients mainly consisted of nonvital procedures such as rehabilitation training. The mortality rate was only slightly lower for this group of burn patients compared with their control counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: Full financial support by the government in terms of medical treatment may engender only marginal additional benefits in terms of mortality if burn treatment procedures are already well established in the country.

Incidence and Cause of Potentially Preventable Death after Civilian Public Mass Shooting in the US.

BACKGROUND: The incidence and severity of civilian public mass shooting (CPMS) events continue to rise. Understanding the wounding pattern and incidence of potentially preventable death (PPD) after CPMS is key to updating prehospital response strategy. METHODS: A retrospective study of autopsy reports after CPMS events identified via the Federal Bureau of Investigation CPMS database from December 1999 to December 31, 2017 was performed. Sites of injury, fatal injury, and incidence of PPD were determined independently by a multidisciplinary panel composed of trauma surgery, emergency medicine, critical care paramedicine, and forensic pathology. RESULTS: Nineteen events including 213 victims were reviewed. Mean number of gunshot wounds per victim was 4.1. Sixty-four percent of gunshots were to the head and torso. The most common cause of death was brain injury (52%). Only 12% (26 victims) were transported to the hospital and the PPD rate was 15% (32 victims). The most commonly injured organs in those with PPD were the lung (59%) and spinal cord (24%). Only 6% of PPD victims had a gunshot to a vascular structure in an extremity. CONCLUSIONS: The PPD rate after CPMS is high and is due mostly to non-hemorrhaging chest wounds. Prehospital care strategy should focus on immediate point of wounding care by both laypersons and medical personnel, as well as rapid extrication of victims to definitive medical care.

A Time-Series Analysis of Firearm Purchasing After Mass Shooting Events in the United States.

Importance: Increased understanding of public response to mass shootings could guide public health planning regarding firearms. Objectives: To test the hypothesis that mass shootings are associated with gun purchasing in the United States and to determine factors associated with gun purchasing changes. Design and Setting: In a cross-sectional study, monthly data on US background checks for all firearm purchases, handgun permits, and long gun permits between November 1, 1998, and April 30, 2016, were obtained from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. All mass shootings resulting in 5 or more individuals injured or killed during the study period were also identified. Interrupted autoregressive integrated moving average time-series modeling was used to identify events associated with changes in gun purchase volume. Then, logistic regression was used to identify event characteristics associated with changes in gun purchases. Analyses were performed between June 6, 2016, and February 5, 2019. Exposures: For the time-series analysis, each mass shooting was modeled as an exposure. In the logistic regression, examined factors were the shooter's race/ethnicity, the region in the United States in which a shooting occurred, whether a shooting was school related, fatalities, handgun use, long gun use, automatic or semiautomatic gun use, media coverage level, and state political affiliation. Main Outcomes and Measures: Identification of major mass shootings significantly associated with changes in gun purchases, and the identification of event-specific factors associated with changes in gun purchases. Results: Between November 1998 and April 2016, 124 major mass shootings and 233 996 385 total background checks occurred. A total of 26 shootings (21.0%) were associated with increases in gun purchases and 22 shootings (17.7%) were associated with decreases in gun purchasing. Shootings receiving extensive media coverage were associated with handgun purchase increases (odds ratio, 5.28; 95% CI, 1.30-21.41; P = .02). Higher-fatality shootings had an inverse association with handgun purchase decreases (odds ratio, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.53-1.00; P = .049). Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this study suggest an association between mass shootings and changes in gun purchases, observed on a comprehensive timescale. Identification of media coverage and fatalities as significant factors underlying this association invites further study into the mechanisms driving gun purchase changes, holding implications for public health response to future gun violence.

Technical Support by Smart Glasses During a Mass Casualty Incident: A Randomized Controlled Simulation Trial on Technically Assisted Triage and Telemedical App Use in Disaster Medicine.

BACKGROUND: To treat many patients despite lacking personnel resources, triage is important in disaster medicine. Various triage algorithms help but often are used incorrectly or not at all. One potential problem-solving approach is to support triage with Smart Glasses. OBJECTIVE: In this study, augmented reality was used to display a triage algorithm and telemedicine assistance was enabled to compare the duration and quality of triage with a conventional one. METHODS: A specific Android app was designed for use with Smart Glasses, which added information in terms of augmented reality with two different methods-through the display of a triage algorithm in data glasses and a telemedical connection to a senior emergency physician realized by the integrated camera. A scenario was created (ie, randomized simulation study) in which 31 paramedics carried out a triage of 12 patients in 3 groups as follows: without technical support (control group), with a triage algorithm display, and with telemedical contact. RESULTS: A total of 362 assessments were performed. The accuracy in the control group was only 58%, but the assessments were quicker (on average 16.6 seconds). In contrast, an accuracy of 92% (P=.04) was achieved when using technical support by displaying the triage algorithm. This triaging took an average of 37.0 seconds. The triage group wearing data glasses and being telemedically connected achieved 90% accuracy (P=.01) in 35.0 seconds. CONCLUSIONS: Triage with data glasses required markedly more time. While only a tally was recorded in the control group, Smart Glasses led to digital capture of the triage results, which have many tactical advantages. We expect a high potential in the application of Smart Glasses in disaster scenarios when using telemedicine and augmented reality features to improve the quality of triage.

Terrorist attacks in Paris: managing mass casualties in a remote trauma center.

OBJECTIVE: On 13 November 2015, Paris was the target of multiple terrorist attacks responsible for a massive influx of casualties in emergency departments (EDs). Because of the activation of a local crisis plan and the arrival of extra staff, our capacities increased markedly. Our aim was to analyze whether our center, in this challenging context, efficiently managed this massive influx of patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We carried out a monocentric retrospective study. All patients received in the first 24 h were included (isolated psychological trauma with no physical injury excluded). Our main endpoint was to assess patient diversion through early secondary transfers ( ≤ 24 h) because of an overrun of our capacities. RESULTS: A total of 53 victims were sent to our center in a 4 h timeframe; 12 patients were excluded (no physical injury). We analyzed 41 victims. Their median injury severity score was 4 (1;9). Three (7%) patients were transferred after ED management to a nearby hospital within the first 24 h for minor orthopedic surgery. There was a significant increase in medical/surgical staff (eight ED physicians instead of two; six intensivists vs. two; three orthopedic surgeons vs. one). Among the victims, 71% had firearms wounds and 30% had open fractures. Twenty surgeries were performed in the first 24 h. There were no in-hospital deaths. CONCLUSION: Faced with an unusual event and thanks to the increase in staff, our operating capacities increased. Our center took charge of almost all victims. Patient diversion concerned only three patients transferred to a nearby hospital for minor orthopedic surgery.

The Las Vegas mass shooting: An analysis of blood component administration and blood bank donations.

BACKGROUND: The deadliest mass shooting in modern United States history occurred on October 1, 2017, in Las Vegas, killing 58 and overwhelming hospitals with more than 600 injured. The scope of the tragedy offers insight into medical demands, which may help guide preparedness for future mass shooting incidents. METHODS: Retrospective, deidentified, health care institution-provided data from all hospitals and blood banks providing care to Las Vegas shooting victims were gathered. Study authors independently reviewed all data and cross-referenced it for verification. Main outcomes and measures include the number of victims requiring hospital and intensive care admission, the amount and types of blood components transfused during the first 24 hours, and the amount of blood donated to local blood banks following the Las Vegas mass shooting. RESULTS: Two hundred twenty patients required hospital admission, 68 of them to critical care. Nearly 500 blood components were transfused during the first 24 hours in a red blood cell-to-plasma-to-platelet ratio of 1:0.54:0.81. Public citizens donated almost 800 units of blood immediately after the shooting; greater than 17% of this donated blood went unused. CONCLUSIONS: The amount of blood components transfused per patient admitted was similar in magnitude to other mass casualty events, and available blood supply met patient demand. The public call for blood donors was not necessary to meet immediate demand and led to resource waste. Preparation for future mass shooting incidents should include training the community in hemorrhage control, encouraging routine blood donation, and avoiding public calls for blood donation unless approved by local blood suppliers. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic study, level V.

Wounding Patterns Based on Firearm Type in Civilian Public Mass Shootings in the United States.

BACKGROUND: There are no studies correlating wounding pattern or probability of death based on firearm type used in civilian public mass shooting (CPMS) events. Previous studies on non-CPMS events found that handguns are more lethal than rifles. We hypothesized that CPMS events associated with a handgun are also more lethal than those associated with a rifle. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study of autopsy reports from CPMS events was performed; CPMS was defined using the FBI and the Congressional Research Service definition. Site(s) of injury, site(s) of fatal injury, and presence of potentially preventable death (PPD) were determined independently by each author and cross-referenced to firearm type used. RESULTS: Autopsy reports of 232 victims from 23 events were reviewed. Seventy-three victims (31%) were shot by handguns, 105 (45%) by rifles, 22 (9%) by shotguns, and 32 (14%) by multiple firearms. Events using a handgun were associated with a higher percentage killed, and events using a rifle were associated with more people shot, although neither difference reached statistical significance. Victims shot by handguns had the highest percentage of having more than 1 fatal wound (26%); those shot by rifle had the lowest percentage (2%) (p = 0.003). Thirty-eight victims (16%) were judged to have had a PPD. The probability of having a PPD was lowest for events involving a handgun (4%) and highest for events involving a rifle (23%) (p = 0.002). Wounding with a handgun was significantly associated with brain (p = 0.007) and cardiac injury (p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: Civilian public mass shooting events with a handgun are more lethal than those associated with use of a rifle.

Hemodynamic consequences of extremity injuries following a terrorist bombing attack: retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Extremities are commonly injured following bomb explosions. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of hemorrhagic shock (HS) in victims of explosion suffering from extremity injuries. METHODS: Retrospective study based on a cohort of patient records maintained in one hospital's mass casualty registry. RESULTS: Sixty-six victims of explosion who were hospitalized with extremity injuries were identified and evaluated. Sixteen (24.2%) of these were hemodynamically unstable during the first 24 h of treatment. HS could be attributed to associated injuries in seven of the patients. In the other nine patients, extremity injury was the only injury that could explain HS in seven patients and the extremity injury was a major contributor to HS together with another associated injury in two patients. In those 9 patients, in whom the extremity injury was the sole or major contributor to HS, a median of 10 (range 2-22) pRBC was transfused during the first 24 h of treatment. Six of the nine patients were in need of massive transfusion. Fractures in both upper and lower extremities, Gustilo IIIb-c open fractures and AIS 3-4 were found to be risk factors for HS. CONCLUSIONS: Ample consideration should be given to patients with extremity injuries due to explosions, as these may be immediately life threatening. Tourniquet use should be encouraged in the pre-hospital setting. Before undertaking surgery, emergent HS should be considered in these patients and prevented by appropriate resuscitation.

Equipping Public Spaces to Facilitate Rapid Point-of-Injury Hemorrhage Control After Mass Casualty.

In response to increasing violent attacks, the Stop the Bleed campaign recommends that everyone have access to both personal and public bleeding-control kits. There are currently no guidelines about how many bleeding victims public sites should be equipped to treat during a mass casualty incident. We conducted a retrospective review of intentional mass casualty incidents, including shootings, stabbings, vehicle attacks, and bombings, to determine the typical number of people who might benefit from immediate hemorrhage control by a bystander before professional medical help arrives. On the basis of our analysis, we recommend that planners at public venues consider equipping their sites with supplies to treat a minimum of 20 bleeding victims during an intentional mass casualty incident.

Mortality at Music Festivals: An Update for 2016-2017 - Academic and Grey Literature for Case Finding.

In 2016, the authors published a paper on music festival fatalities between the years 1999 and 2014 (n=722). In this Special Report, they provide an update on fatalities reported at music festivals globally for the period 2016-2017 (n=201). Using a search strategy designed to capture grey literature and media reports of music festival fatalities, reports of the overall frequency and cause-of-death breakdown for publicly reported, festival-related deaths are recorded. This update shows an increase in the frequency of festival-related fatality reports during the new period, together with an increase in the number of deaths attributable to terror (n=60) and overdose/poisoning (n=41). Drawing conclusions about the cause of this increase is challenging given the growth in Internet use, online media reports, and number of music festivals occurring annually when compared with the previous reporting period. The authors re-emphasize the need for a uniform reporting standard and reliable epidemiological data for fatalities related to music festivals, mass gatherings, and special events. TurrisSA, JonesT, LundA. Mortality at music festivals: an update for 2016-2017 - academic and grey literature for case finding. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(5):553-557.

The aftermath of the Kuwait mosque bombing: A retrospective cohort analysis and lessons learned.

INTRODUCTION: The occurrence of terrorist attacks are still recurrent incidents plaguing the middle east region. However, Kuwait has been mostly spared from these attacks over the years. Therefore, when the bombing of the mosque in 2015 happened, it shocked a country that is not prepared for such disasters. Our aim was to present the incident that occurred on that day and on the lessons learned from it. METHODS: A collaborative effort among the hospitals in Kuwait examined the details and outcomes of the initial response to the bombing. The centers reported their retrospective data, which was analyzed to determine prehospital and intra-hospital management and assess the medical response to the terrorist bombing. RESULTS: A total of 239 victims were involved in the explosion, of which 18 were pronounced dead on site. 147 (67%) were transferred to the hospital for care 22 min after the explosion occurred. The injuries seen were not localized to one region of the body, but afflicted various organ systems. 86 patients were admitted to the hospital, for which five required urgent surgical intervention. Total mortality (on-site and in-hospital) reported after the bombing was 11.2%. CONCLUSION: Rapid response after a mass casualty is of utmost importance for the adequate management of the victims of such tragedies, and could ensure excellent outcomes if performed precisely. However, many lessons can be learned from this shocking event, especially that it exposed the gaps currently present in our disaster plan systems and the importance of looking into addressing them.

A US military Role 2 forward surgical team database study of combat mortality in Afghanistan.

BACKGROUND: Timely and optimal care can reduce mortality among critically injured combat casualties. US military Role 2 surgical teams were deployed to forward positions in Afghanistan on behalf of the battlefield trauma system. They received prehospital casualties, provided early damage control resuscitation and surgery, and rapidly transferred casualties to Role 3 hospitals for definitive care. A database was developed to capture Role 2 data. METHODS: A retrospective review and descriptive analysis were conducted of battle-injured casualties transported to US Role 2 surgical facilities in Afghanistan from February 2008 to September 2014. Casualties were analyzed by mortality status and location of death (pretransport, intratransport, or posttransport), military affiliation, transport time, injury type and mechanism, combat mortality index-prehospital (CMI-PH), and documented prehospital treatment. RESULTS: Of 9,557 casualties (median age, 25.0 years; male, 97.4%), most (95.1%) survived to transfer from Role 2 facility care. Military affiliation included US coalition forces (37.4%), Afghanistan National Security Forces (23.8%), civilian/other forces (21.3%), Afghanistan National Police (13.5%), and non-US coalition forces (4.0%). Mortality differed by military affiliation (p < 0.001). Among fatalities, most were Afghanistan National Security Forces (30.5%) civilian/other forces (26.0%), or US coalition forces (25.2%). Of those categorized by CMI-PH, 40.0% of critical, 11.2% of severe, 0.8% of moderate, and less than 0.1% of mild casualties died. Most fatalities with CMI-PH were categorized as critical (66.3%) or severe (25.9%), whereas most who lived were mild (56.9%) or moderate (25.4%). Of all fatalities, 14.0% died prehospital (pretransport, 5.8%; intratransport, 8.2%), and 86.0% died at a Role 2 facility (posttransport). Of fatalities with documented transport times (median, 53.0 minutes), most (61.7%) were evacuated within 60 minutes. CONCLUSIONS: Role 2 surgical team care has been an important early component of the battlefield trauma system in Afghanistan. Combat casualty care must be documented, collected, and analyzed for outcomes and trends to improve performance. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic/Care Management, level IV.