A major trauma course based on posters, audio-guides and simulation improves the management skills of medical students: Evaluation via medical simulator.

BACKGROUND: Medical competence requires the acquisition of theoretical knowledge and technical skills. Severe trauma management teaching is poorly developed during internship. Nevertheless, the basics of major trauma management should be acquired by every future physician. For this reason, the major trauma course (MTC), an educational course in major traumatology, has been developed for medical students. Our objective was to evaluate, via a high fidelity medical simulator, the impact of the MTC on medical student skills concerning major trauma management. METHODS: The MTC contains 3 teaching modalities: posters with associated audio-guides, a procedural workshop on airway management and a teaching session using a medical simulator. Skills evaluation was performed 1 month before (step 1) and 1 month after (step 3) the MTC (step 2). Nineteen students were individually evaluated on 2 different major trauma scenarios. The primary endpoint was the difference between steps 1 and 3, in a combined score evaluating: admission, equipment, monitoring and safety (skill set 1) and systematic clinical examinations (skill set 2). RESULTS: After the course, the combined primary outcome score improved by 47% (P<0.01). Scenario choice or the order of use had no significant influence on the skill set evaluations. CONCLUSION: This study shows improvement in student skills for major trauma management, which we attribute mainly to the major trauma course developed in our institution.

Transcranial Doppler to screen on admission patients with mild to moderate traumatic brain injury.

BACKGROUND: Detecting patients at risk for secondary neurological deterioration (SND) after mild to moderate traumatic brain injury is challenging. OBJECTIVE: To assess the diagnostic accuracy of transcranial Doppler (TCD) on admission in screening these patients. METHODS: This prospective, observational cohort study enrolled 98 traumatic brain injury patients with an initial Glasgow Coma Scale score of 9 to 15 whose initial computed tomography (CT) scan showed either absent or mild lesions according to the Trauma Coma Data Bank (TCDB) classification, ie, TCDB I and TCDB II, respectively. TCD measurements of the 2 middle cerebral arteries were obtained on admission under stable conditions in all patients. Neurological outcome was reassessed on day 7. RESULTS: Of the 98 patients, 21 showed SND, ie, a decrease of ≥ 2 points from the initial Glasgow Coma Scale or requiring any treatment for neurological deterioration. Diastolic cerebral blood flow velocities and pulsatility index measurements were different between patients with SND and patients with no SND. Using receiver-operating characteristic analysis, we found the best threshold limits to be 25 cm/s (sensitivity, 92%; specificity, 76%; area under curve, 0.93) for diastolic cerebral blood flow velocity and 1.25 (sensitivity, 90%; specificity, 91%; area under curve, 0.95) for pulsatility index. According to a recursive-partitioning analysis, TCDB classification and TCD measurements were the most discriminative among variables to detect patients at risk for SND. CONCLUSION: In patients with no severe brain lesions on CT after mild to moderate traumatic brain injury, TCD on admission, in complement with brain CT scan, could accurately screen patients at risk for SND.

Detecting traumatic internal carotid artery dissection using transcranial Doppler in head-injured patients.

PURPOSE: The early diagnosis of traumatic internal carotid artery dissection (TICAD) is essential for initiating appropriate treatment and improving outcome. We searched for criteria from transcranial Doppler (TCD) measurements on admission that could be associated with subsequent TICAD diagnosis in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective 1:4 matched (age, mean arterial blood pressure) cohort study of 11 TBI patients with TICAD and absent or mild brain lesions on initial CT scan, 22 TBI controls with comparable brain CT scan lesions (controls 1), and 22 TBI controls with more severe brain CT scan lesions (controls 2) on admission. TCD measurements were obtained on admission from both middle cerebral arteries (MCA). All patients had subsequent CT angiography to diagnose TICAD. RESULTS: A >25% asymmetry in the systolic blood flow velocity between the two MCA was found in 9/11 patients with TICAD versus 0/22 in controls 1 and 5/22 in controls 2 (p < 0.01). The combination of this asymmetry with an ipsilateral pulsatility index < or =0.80 was found in 9/11 patients with TICAD versus none in the two groups of controls (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that significant asymmetry in the systolic blood flow velocity between the MCAs and a reduced ipsilateral pulsatility index could be criteria from TCD measurements associated with the occurrence of TICAD in head-injured patients. If prospectively validated, these findings could be incorporated in screening protocols for TICAD in patients with TBI.

Intra-aortic balloon occlusion to salvage patients with life-threatening hemorrhagic shocks from pelvic fractures.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe a blinded intra-aortic balloon occlusion (IABO) procedure in pelvic fractures (PF) for patients with critically uncontrollable hemorrhagic shock (CUHS). METHODS: Of 2,064 patients treated for PF, 13 underwent IABO during initial resuscitation to control massive pelvic bleeding leading to CUHS. Our IABO procedure consists of internal aortic occlusion without fluoroscopy, using a latex balloon inflated in the infrarenal aorta. Retrospectively collected data included demographics, fracture classification, additional injuries, blood transfusions, surgical interventions, angiographic procedure, physiologic parameters, and survival. RESULTS: All balloons were successfully placed, and a significant increase in systolic blood pressure (70 mm Hg, p = 0.001) was observed immediately after IABO. Twelve of 13 patients became transferrable. Angiography performed after IABO was positive for arterial injury in 92% of patients, and 9 patients benefitted from arterial embolization. Survival rate was 46% (6 of 13) and was inversely related to the length of inflation (p = 0.026) and the mean Injury Severity Score (p = 0.011). CONCLUSION: This IABO procedure can be life saving in the management of patients with CUHS from PF, permitting transport to angiography. However, the decision for such treatment must be as quickly as possible after trauma to reduce the time of occlusion.

Transcranial Doppler to detect on admission patients at risk for neurological deterioration following mild and moderate brain trauma.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the contribution of transcranial Doppler measurements obtained in the emergency room for detecting patients with secondary neurological deterioration after mild or moderate brain trauma. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective cohort study in the emergency room in a university teaching hospital. PATIENTS: Seventy-eight adult patients admitted to the emergency room after a traumatic brain injury (TBI), including 42 patients with Glasgow Coma Score 14-15 and 36 with 9-13. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: All patients had transcranial Doppler measurements on both middle cerebral arteries and computed tomography on admission. Neurological outcome was assessed 7 days after trauma. Of the patients included 7 and 10 had secondary neurological deterioration after mild and moderate TBI, respectively. On admission these groups of patients had significantly more injuries on computed tomography using the Trauma Coma Data Bank classification and higher pulsatility index using transcranial Doppler than the patients having no subsequent neurological worsening. CONCLUSIONS: Increased pulsatility index after mild or moderate TBI is a reason for concern about the possibility of further neurological deterioration. Computed tomography and Doppler measurements could be combined to detect on admission patients at risk for secondary neurological deterioration in order to improve their initial disposition.