The prevalence of complicated cervical injuries in near-hanging patients without abnormal levels of consciousness or neck signs.

BACKGROUND: Cervical injuries are important complications of near-hanging, which is defined as self-injury by hanging if the patient survives at admission. Previous studies have reported that complicated cervical injuries due to near-hanging are uncommon. The primary aim of this study was to evaluate whether cervical imaging can be safely omitted for near-hanging patients who are alert and have no abnormal neck symptoms or signs. METHODS: This was a retrospective observational study to investigate the prevalence of cervical injuries among hospitalized near-hanging patients between April 2014 and June 2023. The primary outcome was the prevalence of any complicated cervical injuries, which included laryngeal fractures, laryngeal deviations, spinal cord injuries, cervical spine fractures, and blunt cerebrovascular injuries. The primary aim of this study was to determine the primary outcome among near-hanging patients with normal levels of consciousness and no abnormal neck symptoms or signs. RESULTS: During the study period, a total of 63 near-hanging patients were hospitalized. Of these, 11 patients (18%) with normal levels of consciousness and no neck symptoms or signs at admission were included. The median age of the patients was 37 years (IQR 27 to 53); 5 (45%) were women, and none had cardiac arrest at the scene. For the primary outcome, no complicated cervical injuries (0%; 95% CI, 0% to 27%) occurred among the small number of near-hanging patients who had normal levels of consciousness and no abnormal neck symptoms or signs at admission. CONCLUSIONS: There were no cases of complicated cervical injuries among near-hanging patients with normal levels of consciousness and no abnormal neck symptoms or signs. Further prospective multicenter studies are warranted to investigate whether cervical imaging can be safely omitted in assessments of these patients.

Trauma-associated left renal vein thrombosis with nutcracker syndrome.

Background: Nutcracker syndrome is a compression of the left renal vein between the superior mesenteric artery and aorta, resulting in thrombogenesis. While renal vein thrombosis caused by renal disease is more common, solitary left renal vein thrombosis with nutcracker syndrome is rare. Case Presentation: We present the case of a patient with trauma-associated left renal vein thrombosis with nutcracker syndrome. A 24-year-old woman with low body mass index taking oral contraceptives was admitted for trauma. She had multiple injuries, including thoracolumbar fractures, for which elective spinal fusion surgery was scheduled. As the D-dimer level elevated to 82.5 µg/dL preoperatively, enhanced computed tomography was performed, which revealed a solitary left renal vein thrombus. Conclusion: This is the report of solitary left renal vein thrombosis in a patient with nutcracker syndrome after trauma. Patients with low body mass index and coagulopathy might have solitary left renal vein thrombosis associated with nutcracker syndrome.

Trends in endotracheal intubation for patients with COVID-19 by emergency physicians.

Emergency physicians perform endotracheal intubations for patients with COVID-19. However, the trends in the intubation for COVID-19 patients in terms of success rate, complications, personal protective equipment (PPE) information, barrier enclosure use, and its transition have not been established. We conducted a retrospective study of COVID-19 cases that required tracheal intubation at four hospitals in the Tokyo metropolitan area between January 2020 and August 2021. The overall intubation success rate, operator experience, and infection control methods were investigated. We then compared the early and late phases of the pandemic for a period of 8 months each. A total of 211 cases met the inclusion criteria, and 133 were eligible for analysis. The intubation success rate increased from 85% to 94% from early to late phase, although the percentage of intubations performed by emergency medicine residents increased significantly in the late phase (p = 0.03). The percentage of light PPE use significantly increased from 65% to 91% from early to late phase (p < 0.01), whereas the percentage of barrier enclosure use significantly decreased from 26% to 0% (p < 0.01). Furthermore, the infection prevention methods during intubation became more simplified from early to late phase.

Digestive Decolonization of Colorectal Carriage of Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium in a Japanese Adult.

Patients with vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) colonization should be managed in an isolation room with contact precautions. We herein report a patient whose colorectal carriage of VRE was successfully decolonized using concomitant bowel irrigation with polyethylene glycol, probiotics, and oral antimicrobials, linezolid and orally-administered daptomycin, for release from isolation and contact precautions. We therefore would like to suggest a potential strategy for managing patients with VRE colonization.

Length of hospital stay and mortality associated with burns from assault: a retrospective study with inverse probability weighting analysis.

BACKGROUND: Burns resulting from assaults account for considerable morbidity and mortality among patients with burn injuries around the world. However, it is still unclear whether unfavorable clinical outcomes are associated primarily with the severity of the injuries. To elucidate the direct relationship between burns resulting from assaults and mortality and/or length of hospital stays, we performed this study with the hypothesis that burns from assault would be independently associated with fewer hospital-free days than would burns from other causes, regardless of the severity of burn injuries. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study, using a city-wide burn registry (1996-2017) accounting for 14 burn centers in Tokyo, Japan. Patients who arrived within 24 hours after injury were included, and those with self-inflicted burn injuries were excluded. Patients were divided into two groups according to mechanism of burns (assault vs. accident), and the number of hospital-free days until day 30 after injury (a composite of in-hospital death and hospital length of stay) was compared between the groups. To estimate the probability that an injury would be classified as an assault, we calculated propensity scores, using multivariate logistic regression analyses adjusted for known outcome predictors. We also performed an inverse probability weighting (IPW) analysis to compare adjusted numbers of hospital-free days. RESULTS: Of 7419 patients in the registry with burn injuries during the study period, 5119 patients were included in this study. Of these, 113 (2.2%) were injured as a result of assault; they had significantly fewer hospital-free days than did those with burns caused by accident (18 [27] vs. 24 [20] days; coefficient = [Formula: see text]3.4 [[Formula: see text]5.5 to [Formula: see text]1.3] days; p = 0.001). IPW analyses similarly revealed the independent association between assault burn injury and fewer hospital-free days (adjusted coefficient = [Formula: see text]0.6 [[Formula: see text]1.0 to [Formula: see text]0.1] days; p = 0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Burn from assault was independently associated with fewer hospital-free days, regardless of the severity of burn injuries. The pathophysiological mechanism underlying the relationship should be further studied in a prospective observational study.

[Consciousness Disturbance].

Various diseases cause consciousness disturbance, many of which are directly related to life and functional prognosis. As they often affect the respiratory and circulatory functions, differential diagnosis must be considered while stabilizing the patients. Although appropriate treatment should be started promptly after differential diagnosis, preconceptions could lead to misdiagnosis. A detailed medical interview cannot be conducted directly with the patient, which is a significant disadvantage faced by medical professionals in consciousness disturbance cases compared to other neurological disorders. Therefore, careful physical examination and diagnosis are important. At the same time, differential diagnosis may change over time, and follow-up examinations are necessary. Here, we would like to report three emergency cases of consciousness disturbance.

A novel scale for predicting delayed intubation in patients with inhalation injury.

BACKGROUND: Strategies to predict delayed airway obstruction in patients with inhalation injury have not been extensively studied. This study aimed to develop a novel scale, predicting the need for Delayed Intubation after inhalation injury (PDI) score. METHODS: We retrospectively identified patients with inhalation injury at four tertiary care centers in Japan between 2012 and 2018. We included patients aged 15 or older and excluded those intubated within 30 min after hospital arrival. Predictors for delayed intubation were identified with univariate analyses and scored on the basis of odds ratios. The PDI score was evaluated with the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) curve and compared with other scaling systems for burn injuries. RESULTS: Data from 158 patients were analyzed; of these patients, 18 (11.4%) were intubated during the delayed phase. Signs of respiratory distress, facial burn, and pharyngolaryngeal swelling observed on laryngoscopy, were identified as predictors for delayed intubation. The discriminatory power of the PDI (AUROC curve = 0.90; 95% confidence interval, 0.83 to 0.97; p < 0.01) was higher than that of the other scaling systems. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a novel scale for predicting delayed intubation in inhalation injury. The score should be further validated with other population.

A novel scoring system to predict the requirement for surgical intervention in victims of motor vehicle crashes: Development and validation using independent cohorts.

BACKGROUND: Given that there are still considerable number of facilities which lack surgical specialists round the clock across the world, the ability to estimate the requirement for emergency surgery in victims of motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) can ensure appropriate resource allocation. In this study, a surgical intervention in victims of MVC (SIM) score was developed and validated, using independent patient cohorts. METHODS: We retrospectively identified MVC victims in a nationwide trauma registry (2004-2016). Adults ≥ 15 years who presented with palpable pulse were included. Patients with missing data on the type/date of surgery were excluded. Patient were allocated to development or validation cohorts based on the date of injury. After missing values were imputed, predictors of the need for emergency thoracotomy and/or laparotomy were identified with multivariate logistic regression, and scores were then assigned using odds ratios. The SIM score was validated with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and calibration plots of SIM score-derived probability and observed rates of emergency surgery. RESULTS: We assigned 13,328 and 12,348 patients to the development and validation cohorts, respectively. Age, motor vehicle collision and vital signs on hospital arrival were identified as independent predictors for emergency thoracotomy and/or laparotomy, and SIM score was developed as 0-9 scales. The score has a good discriminatory power (AUROC = 0.79; 95% confidence interval = 0.77-0.81), and both estimated and observed rates of emergency surgery increased stepwise from 1% at a score ≤ 1 to almost 40% at a score ≥ 8 with linear calibration plots. CONCLUSIONS: The SIM score was developed and validated to accurately estimate the need for emergent thoracotomy and/or laparotomy in MVC victims.

Self-inflicted Burn Injury Is Independently Associated With Increased Mortality in a More Economically Developed Country: A Propensity Score Matching Analysis.

Self-inflicted burn accounts for considerable morbidity and mortality in more economically developed countries, and there is a substantial debate regarding the pathophysiological relevance between self-inflicted burns and unfavorable outcomes. To validate whether self-inflicted injury is an independent predictor of high mortality regardless of the severity of burn, they conducted a retrospective observational study using the Japan Trauma Data Bank, a nationwide database including over 200 major tertiary care centers. Among 2006 patients with burn who had arrived at collaborating centers between 2004 and 2016, they included patients aged ≥15 years, those who did not present with cardiopulmonary arrest upon arrival, and those who had ≥10 percent total body surface area burns. Patients with missing survival data or unknown mechanism of injury were excluded. In total, 1094 patients were eligible, of whom 222 (20.3 percent) had self-inflicted burns. The patients were divided into the self-inflicted and non-self-inflicted groups, and propensity score was calculated using the demographic information of the patients, injury variables, time from injury to hospital arrival, and other survival predictors. Via a propensity score matching, 98 pairs were selected, and the self-inflicted group had a higher mortality than the non-self-inflicted group (43.9 vs 28.6 percent, hazard ratio = 1.77; 95% confidence interval = 1.10-2.86; P = .02). Inverse probability weighting and multivariate logistic regression were performed as sensitivity analyses, and results validated that self-inflicted burn was independently associated with increased in-hospital mortality. Therefore, patients with self-inflicted burns should receive judicious management, regardless of burn injury severity.

Impact of cardiopulmonary resuscitation time on the effectiveness of emergency department thoracotomy after blunt trauma.

PURPOSE: Debate remains about the threshold cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) duration associated with futile emergency department thoracotomy (EDT). To validate the CPR duration associated with favorable outcomes, we investigated the relationship between CPR duration and return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) after EDT in blunt trauma. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted at three tertiary centers over the last 7 years. We included bluntly injured adults who were pulseless and required EDT at presentation, but excluded those with devastating head injuries. After multivariate logistic regression identified the CRP duration as an independent predictor of ROSC, receiver operating characteristic curves were used to determine the threshold CPR duration. Patient data were divided into short- and long-duration CPR groups based on this threshold, and we developed a propensity score to estimate assignment to the short-duration CPR group. The ROSC rates were compared between groups after matching. RESULTS: Forty patients were eligible for this study and ROSC was obtained in 12. The CPR duration was independently associated with the achievement of ROSC [odds ratio 1.18; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.37, P = 0.04], and the threshold CPR duration was 17 min. Among the 14 patients with a short CPR duration, 13 matched with the patients with a long CPR duration, and a short CPR duration was significantly associated with higher rates of ROSC (odds ratio 8.80; 95% CI 1.35-57.43, P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: A CPR duration < 17 min is independently associated with higher ROSC rates in patients suffering blunt trauma.

Kidney and Liver Injuries After Major Burns in Rats Are Prevented by Resolvin D2.

OBJECTIVES: Innate immune dysfunction after major burn injuries increases the susceptibility to organ failure. Lipid mediators of inflammation resolution, e.g., resolvin D2, have been shown recently to restore neutrophil functionality and reduce mortality rate in a rat model of major burn injury. However, the physiological mechanisms responsible for the benefic activity of resolvin D2 are not well understood. DESIGN: Prospective randomized animal investigation. SETTING: Academic research setting. SUBJECTS: Wistar male rats. INTERVENTIONS: Animals were subjected to a full-thickness burn of 30% total body surface area. Two hours after burn, 25 ng/kg resolvin D2 was administered IV and repeated every day, for 8 days. At day 10 post burn, 2 mg/kg of lipopolysaccharide was administered IV, and the presence of renal and hepatic injuries was evaluated at day 11 post burn by histology, immunohistochemistry, and relevant blood chemistry. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: In untreated animals, we found significant tissue damage in the kidneys and liver, consistent with acute tubular necrosis and multifocal necrosis, and changes in blood chemistry, reflecting the deterioration of renal and hepatic functions. We detected less tissue damage and significantly lower values of blood urea nitrogen (26.4 ± 2.1 vs 36.0 ± 9.3 mg/dL; p ≤ 0.001), alanine aminotransferase (266.5 ± 295.2 vs 861.8 ± 813.7 U/L; p ≤ 0.01), and total bilirubin (0.13 ± 0.05 vs 0.30 ± 0.14 mg/dL; p ≤ 0.01) in resolvin D2-treated rats than in untreated animals. The mean blood pressure of all animals was above 65 mm Hg, indicating adequate tissue perfusion throughout the experiments. We measured significantly larger amounts of chromatin in the circulation of untreated than of resolvin D2-treated rats (575.1 ± 331.0 vs 264.1 ± 122.4 ng/mL; p ≤ 0.05) and identified neutrophil extracellular traps in kidney and liver tissues from untreated rats, consistent with the tissue damage. CONCLUSIONS: Pathologic changes in kidney and liver tissues in a rat model of major burn and endotoxin insults are ameliorated by resolvin D2.

Evaluation of intragastric vs intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests in the evaluation of insulin resistance in a rodent model of burn injury and glucagon-like polypeptide-1 treatment.

Evaluation of glucose tolerance in rodent models is usually performed after intraperitroneal administration of glucose (intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test [IPGTT]), whereas in humans the test is performed with oral glucose. Hyperglycemia is a major clinical manifestation of burn injury. Our previous studies using IPGTT have demonstrated burn injury-induced insulin resistance and the beneficial effects of glucagon-like polypeptide-1 (GLP-1) in improving insulin resistance. The goal of the present study is to compare the results of these two procedures under 1) burn injury-induced insulin resistance and 2) GLP-1 treatment after burn. Male CD rats were divided into three groups: sham burn, burn, and burn with GLP-1. Blood glucose and plasma insulin levels were measured during intragastric glucose tolerance test (IGGTT) on day 6 after 40% of full-thickness burn injury. The results were compared with our previous IPGTT. Blood glucose curves for IGGTT and IPGTT showed a similar pattern. However, IGGTT demonstrated a significant lower level of maximal blood glucose when compared with IPGTT. This was accompanied by higher peak insulin levels in sham burn and burn groups. In contrast, peak insulin levels of each burn with GLP-1 group were similar. 1) Both IPGTT and IGGTT demonstrated burn injury-induced insulin resistance and the efficacy of GLP-1 for reducing hyperglycemia after burn injury. 2) The observed differences in the plasma glucose and insulin levels between IGGTT and IPGTT suggest that endogenously produced GLP-1 during the IGGTT may play a role in ameliorating insulin resistance after burn injury.

[Accidents during bathing].

Sudden death during bathing accounts for 10 to 15% of all out-of hospital cardiac arrests in Japan. Surveys in Tokyo revealed 1,085 victims of accidents during bathing transported by ambulance from October 1999 to March 2000. 53% of them were cardiac arrest and 25% were those who needed rescue from bath tub because of consciousness disturbance (rescued group). Clinical observation of the rescued group patients indicated they suffered from transient loss of consciousness probably because of elevated body temperature. The current hypothesis of the accidents during bathing is a unique type of heat illness exposed by high water temperature(41-43 degrees C). Geriatric population is vulnerable to the bathing induced heat illness.

Resolvin D2 restores neutrophil directionality and improves survival after burns.

Following severe burns and trauma injuries, the changes of neutrophil migratory phenotype are a double-edged sword. Activated neutrophils migrate into injured tissues and help contain microbial infections, but they can also enter normal tissues and damage vital organs. Depleting the neutrophils from circulation protects vital organs against neutrophil-induced damage but leaves the body exposed to infectious complications. Here we show that restoring normal neutrophil migratory phenotype in rats with burn injuries correlates with improved survival in a classical double-injury model of sequential burn and septic insults. We uncovered that the directionality of neutrophils from burned rats can be restored both in vitro by 1 nM resolvin D2 (RvD2) and in vivo by RvD2 for 7 d, 25 ng/kg body mass (8-10 ng/rat). Restoring neutrophil directionality dramatically increases survival after a second septic insult at d 9 postburn. Survival of RvD2-treated animals increases from 0 to 100% after lipopolysaccharide injection and is extended by 1 wk after cecal ligation. Survival does not significantly increase when the restoration of neutrophil directionality is incomplete, following shorter regimens of RvD2. We conclude that restoring neutrophil directionality using RvD2 could have prophylactic value and delay lethal complications after burn injuries.

Neutrophil-derived matrix metalloproteinase 9 triggers acute aortic dissection.

BACKGROUND: Acute aortic dissection (AAD) is a life-threatening vascular disease without effective pharmaceutical therapy. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are implicated in the development of chronic vascular diseases including aneurysm, but the key effectors and mechanism of action remain unknown. To define further the role of MMPs in AAD, we screened circulating MMPs in AAD patients, and then generated a novel mouse model for AAD to characterize the mechanism of action. METHODS AND RESULTS: MMP9 and angiotensin II were elevated significantly in blood samples from AAD patients than in those from the patients with nonruptured chronic aortic aneurysm or healthy volunteers. Based on the findings, we established a novel AAD model by infusing angiotensin II to immature mice that had been received a lysyl oxidase inhibitor, ß-aminopropionitrile monofumarate. AAD was developed successfully in the thoracic aorta by angiotensin II administration to ß-aminopropionitrile monofumarate-treated wild-type mice, with an incidence of 20%, 80%, and 100% after 6, 12, and 24 hours, respectively. Neutrophil infiltrations were observed in the intima of the thoracic aorta, and the overexpression of MMP9 in the aorta was demonstrated by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, gelatin zymography, and immunohistochemistry. The incidence of AAD was reduced significantly by 40% following the administration of an MMP inhibitor and was almost blocked completely in MMP(-/-) mice without any influence on neutrophil infiltration. Neutrophil depletion by injection of anti-granulocyte-differentiation antigen-1 (anti-Gr-1) antibody also significantly decreased the incidence of AAD. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that AAD is initiated by neutrophils that have infiltrated the aortic intima and released MMP9 in response to angiotensin II.

Antimicrobial-susceptible patterns of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from surgical infections: a new approach.

Our goal was to analyze minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) data for Staphylococcus aureus isolated from surgical infections (SIs) and to look for correlations among the clinically available antimicrobials that were tested. Clinical isolates from SIs were collected by a multicenter surveillance group involving 34 institutions in Japan. During the period April 1998 to March 2007, 312 strains of S. aureus [71 methicillin susceptible (MSSA) and 241 methicillin resistant (MRSA)] were consecutively obtained from these institutions. MIC data for 18 clinically available antimicrobial agents [ABPC, CEZ, CTM, CMX, CPR, FMOX, CFPM, CZOP, IPM, MEMP, GM, ABK, MINO, CLDM, FOM, LVFX, VCM, and TEIC (abbreviations defined in Tables 2 and 3)] against these isolates was analyzed using a principal component analysis (PCA). PCA revealed that four principal components explained 71.1% of the total variance. The first component consisted of major contributions from MEPM and IPM. The second component consisted of major contributions from MINO. These two-first axes, which were strong and explained 54.2% of the total variance, were able to classify the clinical isolates into four clusters. Furthermore, the proportion of the four clusters provided the characteristics of the S. aureus that were clinically isolated at each institute. PCA is a clinically applicable method for analyzing MIC patterns. Such analyses might contribute to the establishment of a practical classification of antimicrobial agents and to the identification of the characteristic antimicrobial resistance patterns at each institute.

[Evaluation of severity for systemic inflammatory response syndrome and sepsis].

Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is defined by four simple clinical and laboratory indices and now widely accepted for diagnosing sepsis. However, since the SIRS criteria include patients with a wide range of severity, other parameters are necessary to evaluate the severity and outcome of the patients. In this review, we discussed several methods to estimate the severity of SIRS, such as number of positive SIRS indices among four, duration of SIRS, plasma IL-6 and procalcitonin, etc.