Management of haemothoraces in blunt thoracic trauma: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

INTRODUCTION: Haemothorax following blunt thoracic trauma is a common source of morbidity and mortality. The optimal management of moderate to large haemothoraces has yet to be defined. Observational data have suggested that expectant management may be an appropriate strategy in stable patients. This study aims to compare the outcomes of patients with haemothoraces following blunt thoracic trauma treated with either chest drainage or expectant management. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a single-centre, dual-arm randomised controlled trial. Patients presenting with a moderate to large sized haemothorax following blunt thoracic trauma will be assessed for eligibility. Eligible patients will then undergo an informed consent process followed by randomisation to either (1) chest drainage (tube thoracostomy) or (2) expectant management. These groups will be compared for the rate of additional thoracic interventions, major thoracic complications, length of stay and mortality. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study has been approved by the institution's research ethics board and registered with ClinicalTrials.gov. All eligible participants will provide informed consent prior to randomisation. The results of this study may provide guidance in an area where there remains significant variation between clinicians. The results of this study will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03050502.

To drain or not to drain? Predictors of tube thoracostomy insertion and outcomes associated with drainage of traumatic hemothoraces.

INTRODUCTION: Historical data suggests that many traumatic hemothoraces (HTX) can be managed expectantly without tube thoracostomy (TT) drainage. The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of TT, including whether the quantity of pleural blood predicted tube placement, and to evaluate outcomes associated with TT versus expected management (EM) of traumatic HTXs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of all trauma patients with HTXs and an Injury Severity Score (ISS) ≥12 managed at a level I trauma centre between April 1, 2005 and December 31, 2012 was completed. Mixed-effects models with a subject-specific random intercept were used to identify independent risk factors for TT. Logistic and log-linear regression were used to compute odds ratios (ORs) for mortality and empyema and percent increases in length of hospital and intensive care unit stay between patients managed with TT versus EM, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 635 patients with 749 HTXs were included in the study. Overall, 491 (66%) HTXs were drained while 258 (34%) were managed expectantly. Independent predictors of TT placement included concomitant ipsilateral flail chest [OR 3.03; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04-8.80; p=0.04] or pneumothorax (OR 6.19; 95% CI 1.79-21.5; p<0.01) and the size of the HTX (OR per 10cc increase 1.12; 95% CI 1.04-1.21; p<0.01). Although the adjusted odds of mortality were not significantly different between groups (OR 3.99; 95% CI 0.87-18.30; p=0.08), TT was associated with a 47.14% (95% CI, 25.57-69.71%; p<0.01) adjusted increase in hospital length of stay. Empyemas (n=29) only occurred among TT patients. CONCLUSIONS: Expectant management of traumatic HTX was associated with a shorter length of hospital stay, no empyemas, and no increase in mortality. Although EM of smaller HTXs may be safe, these findings must be confirmed by a large multi-centre cohort study and randomized controlled trials before they are used to guide practice.

Outcomes of Acinetobacter baumannii infection in critically ill surgical patients.

BACKGROUND: Multi-drug resistant (MDR) organisms in intensive care units (ICUs) are a growing concern. The emergence of several infections with MDR Acinetobacter baumannii prompted a review of cases and evaluation of the efficacy of intervention. OBJECTIVE: To determine the rate of clinical cure, the incidence of drug resistance, and the mortality rate associated with A. baumannii infection. METHOD: Retrospective review of A. baumannii infections in three surgical ICUs between January, 2004 and November, 2005. Infection was identified in 291 patients, 20 of whom were excluded because of incomplete documentation. Of the remaining 271 patients, 71% were male, and the mean age was 47 +/- 18 years (range 13-90 years). RESULTS: Patients had a mean length of stay in the ICU of 14 days (range 0-136 days) before infection. The initial positive cultures were from bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) in 72.3%, blood in 16.2%, a catheter tip in 6.3%, urine in 1.8%, wound in 2.2%, and abscess in 1.1%. In 46.9% of patients, the first culture was polymicrobial. The Acinetobacter isolates were resistant or intermediate-resistant to imipenem-cilastatin in 81.2% of cases; 19.9% were resistant to all drugs except colistin, and two were resistant to all tested drugs. Colistin was used in 75.6% of patients (intravenous 61.5%, nebulized 38.5%). The mean duration of treatment was 13 +/- 8.9 days (range 0-56 days), and clinical cure was achieved in 73.8% of patients. Recurrent infection after initial cure was found in 19.2% of patients. There was no significant difference in clinical cure rates between patients treated with colistin and those treated with other culture-directed drugs (75.1% vs. 69.7%), or between patients treated with intravenous vs. nebulized colistin (72.4% vs. 79.5%). The mortality rate was 26.2% for the entire group and was significantly higher in the subgroup of transplant patients (n = 31) (64.5% vs. 21.4%; p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The majority of A. baumannii isolates were MDR, and a significant proportion were sensitive only to colistin. Treatment of A. baumannii infection with colistin is effective by both intravenous and nebulized routes of administration. However, infection with A. baumannii in critically ill surgical patients is associated with a high mortality rate, particularly in transplant patients.

Selective non-operative management of solid organ injury following abdominal gunshot wounds.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the outcome of patients sustaining a torso gunshot wound with documented solid organ injury. Our hypothesis was that the non-operative management of isolated solid organ injuries is a safe management option for a select group of patients. METHODS: A retrospective review of a prospectively collected database was conducted to identify all patients sustaining a torso gunshot resulting in a solid organ injury undergoing non-operative management over a 5-year period (12/1999-01/2005). Patient demographics, injury details, diagnostic imaging, outcome and follow-up were reviewed. RESULTS: Of 644 gunshot wounds to the torso, 144 (22%) underwent non-operative management. Thirteen of these patients (9%) had 16 solid organ injuries (10 liver, 4 kidney and 2 spleen). CT characterisation of the isolated solid organ injury ranged from AAST Grade I-IV. One of 13 patients failed non-operative management and subsequently underwent laparotomy, which was non-therapeutic. Clinical follow-up was available in all patients for an average of 101 days (median 27, range 6-473). The organ salvage rate was 100%. SUMMARY: In select haemodynamically stable patients without peritonitis able to undergo serial clinical examination, solid organ injury is not a contra-indication to non-operative management. In the appropriate setting, non-operative management of solid organ injury after gunshot wounding is associated with a high rate of success and organ salvage.