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INTRODUCTION: We aim to assess the trends in trauma patient volume, injury characteristics, and facility resource utilization that occurred during four surges in COVID-19 cases. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of 92 American College of Surgeons (ACS)-verified trauma centers (TCs) in a national hospital system during 4 COVID-19 case surges was performed. Patients who were directly transported to the TC and were an activation or consultation from the emergency department (ED) were included. Trends in injury characteristics, patient demographics & outcomes, and hospital resource utilization were assessed during four COVID-19 case surges and compared to the same dates in 2019. RESULTS: The majority of TCs were within a metropolitan or micropolitan division. During the pandemic, trauma admissions decreased overall, but displayed variable trends during Surges 1-4 and across U.S. regions and TC levels. Patients requiring surgery or blood transfusion increased significantly during Surges 1-3, whereas the proportion of patients requiring plasma and/or platelets increased significantly during Surges 1-2. Patients admitted to the hospital had significantly higher Injury Severity Score (ISS) and mortality as compared to pre-pandemic during Surge 1 and 2. Patients with Medicaid or uninsured increased significantly during the pandemic. Hospital length of stay (LOS) decreased significantly during the pandemic and more trauma patients were discharged home. CONCLUSIONS: Trauma admissions decreased during Surge 1, but increased during Surge 2, 3 and 4. Penetrating injuries and firearm-related injuries increased significantly during the pandemic, patients requiring surgery or packed red blood cells (PRBCs) transfusion increased significantly during Surges 1-3. The number of patients discharged home increased during the pandemic and was accompanied by a decreased hospital length of stay (LOS).
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COVID-19 , Centros de Traumatologia , COVID-19/epidemiologia , Humanos , Escala de Gravidade do Ferimento , Tempo de Internação , Prevalência , Estudos Retrospectivos , Estados Unidos/epidemiologiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Only a fraction of pediatric trauma patients are treated in pediatric-specific facilities, leaving the remaining to be seen in centers that must decide to admit the patient to a pediatric or adult unit. Thus, there may be inconsistencies in pediatric trauma admission practices among trauma centers. OBJECTIVE: Describe current practices in admission decision making for pediatric patients. METHODS: An email survey was distributed to members of three professional organizations: The American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, Society of Trauma Nurses, and Pediatric Trauma Society. The survey contained questions regarding pediatric age cutoffs, institutional placement decisions, and scenario-based assessments to determine mitigating placement factors. RESULTS: There were 313 survey responses representing freestanding children's hospitals (114, 36.4%); children's hospitals within general hospitals (107, 34.2%), and adult centers (not a children's hospital; 90, 28.8%). The mean age cutoff for pediatric admission was 16.6 years. The most reported cutoff ages were 18 years (77, 25.6%) and 15 years (76, 25.2%). The most common rationales for the age cutoffs were "institutional experience/tradition" (139, 44.4%) and "physician preference" (89, 28.4%). CONCLUSION: There was no single widely accepted age cutoff that distinguished pediatric from adult trauma patients for admission placement. There was significant variability between and within the types of facilities, with noted ambiguity in the definition of a "pediatric" patient. Thresholds appear to be based primarily on subjective criteria such as traditions or preferences rather than scientific data. Institutions should strive for objective, evidence-based policies for determining the appropriate placement of pediatric patients.
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Hospitais Pediátricos , Centros de Traumatologia , Adolescente , Adulto , Criança , Tomada de Decisões , Hospitais Gerais , Humanos , Inquéritos e Questionários , Estados UnidosRESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Longer prehospital times were associated with increased odds for survival in trauma patients. The purpose of this study was to determine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected emergency medical services (EMS) prehospital times for trauma patients. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study compared trauma patients transported via EMS to six US level I trauma centers admitted 1/1/19-12/31/19 (2019) and 3/16/20-6/30/20 (COVID-19). Outcomes included: total EMS pre-hospital time (dispatch to hospital arrival), injury to dispatch time, response time (dispatch to scene arrival), on-scene time (scene arrival to scene departure), and transportation time (scene departure to hospital arrival). Fisher's exact, chi-squared, or Kruskal-Wallis tests were used, alpha = 0.05. All times are presented as median (IQR) minutes. RESULTS: There were 9400 trauma patients transported by EMS: 79% in 2019 and 21% during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients were similar in demographics and transportation mode. Emergency room deaths were also similar between 2019 and COVID-19 [0.6% vs. 0.9%, p = 0.13].There were no differences between 2019 and during COVID-19 for total EMS prehospital time [44 (33, 63) vs. 43 (33, 62), p = 0.12], time from injury to dispatch [16 (6, 55) vs. 16 (7, 77), p = 0.41], response time [7 (5, 12) for both groups, p = 0.27], or on-scene time [16 (12-22) vs. 17 (12,22), p = 0.31]. Compared to 2019, transportation time was significantly shorter during COVID-19 [18 (13, 28) vs. 17 (12, 26), p = 0.01]. CONCLUSION: The median transportation time for trauma patients was marginally significantly shorter during COVID-19; otherwise, EMS prehospital times were not significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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COVID-19/epidemiologia , Serviços Médicos de Emergência , Mortalidade Hospitalar , Transporte de Pacientes , Adulto , Idoso , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Estudos Retrospectivos , Fatores de Tempo , Centros de Traumatologia , Estados Unidos/epidemiologiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: The Pediatric Trauma Society (PTS) is a multidisciplinary organization, with scientific presentations at its annual meeting addressing trauma care from prehospital through rehabilitation. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify and describe the scholarly areas of focus of presentations at the annual meeting over the society's first 5 years and evaluate research dissemination. METHODS: Data were collected on abstracts presented between 2014 and 2018, including titles, authors, and abstract classification. PubMed and Google Scholar searches identified abstracts that resulted in publications. Journal impact factors were identified. RESULTS: Over 5 years, 491 of 635 (77.3%) abstracts were accepted. The number of submitted and accepted abstracts increased, but the acceptance rate was stable (range = 72.1%-81.2%, p = NS [nonsignificant]). The most frequently accepted categories included "Epidemiology," "Abdominal or Thoracic Trauma," and "Neurosurgery or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)," whereas "Trauma Nursing" and "Quality Improvement" were less common. Among the 2014-2016 abstracts, 55.4% of podium and 24.3% of poster presentations were published. Abstracts categorized as "Epidemiology," "Education & Injury Prevention," and "Neurosurgery or TBI" were commonly presented but uncommonly published. The median journal impact factor of publications was 2.1 and 2.0 for podium and poster presentations, respectively (ranging from 0.11 to 10.25). CONCLUSION: Most of the scholarly effort presented at the PTS remains unpublished. Published work is mainly in low-impact factor journals. Mentorship in the publication process and encouragement of multidisciplinary collaboration within the society are needed to address limitations in the number and potential impact of the scientific content of the annual meeting. This type of analysis is relevant not only to the PTS but also to any professional society seeking to improve its impact.
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Sociedades Médicas , Ferimentos e Lesões , Criança , Humanos , PediatriaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Assessment of patient satisfaction is central to understanding and improving system performance with the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) national standard survey. However, no large, multi-institutional study exists, which examines the role of nurses in trauma patient satisfaction. OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of nurses on trauma patient satisfaction. METHODS: This retrospective, descriptive study of Level I-IV trauma centers in a multistate hospital system evaluated patients 18 years and older admitted with at least an overnight stay. Data were obtained electronically for patients discharged in 2018-2019 who returned an HCAHPS survey. Surveys were linked by an honest broker to demographic and injury data from the trauma registry, and then anonymized prior to analysis. Patients were categorized as "trauma" per the National Trauma Data Standard (NTDS) definition or as "medical" or "surgical" per the HCAHPS definition. RESULTS: Of 112,283 surveys from 89 trauma centers, "trauma" patients (n = 5,126) comprised 4.6%, "surgical" 39.0% (n = 43,763), and "medical" 56.5% (n = 63,394). Nurses had an overwhelming impact on "trauma" patient satisfaction, accounting for 63.9% (p < .001) of the variation (adjusted R2) in the overall score awarded the institution-larger than for "surgery" (59.6%; p < .001) or "medical" (58.4%; p < .001) patients. The most important individual domain contributor to the overall rating of a facility was "nursing communication." CONCLUSIONS: The magnitude of the effect of trauma nurses was noteworthy, with their communication ability being the single biggest driver of institutional ratings. These data provide insight for future performance benchmark development and emphasize the critical impact of trauma nurses on the trauma patient experience.
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Satisfação do Paciente , Hospitalização , Humanos , Estudos Retrospectivos , Inquéritos e Questionários , Centros de TraumatologiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Ultrasound (US) has been used in the adult trauma population with reported moderate to high sensitivities, but data are scarce in the pediatric trauma population. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to specifically examine the sensitivity and specificity of one lung US methodology (single-point anterior exam) in the pediatric trauma population when compared to chest radiography or CT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of pediatric trauma patients who received lung US as an extension of the focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST) exam. We compared lung US findings with chest radiography and CT scans. RESULTS: Two hundred twenty-six pediatric trauma patients underwent lung US exam with confirmatory exams; 11 pneumothoraces (4.8%) were observed. Of those 11, 6 were evaluated as false negatives on the lung US. Analyses resulted in 45.5% sensitivity, 98.6% specificity and 96.0% accuracy. Pneumothoraces undetected by lung US were small and apical and were likely not observed because of their size and location. None of the false negatives required intervention. All true positives were associated with lung contusions. CONCLUSION: Pneumothorax is less common in the pediatric than the adult trauma population, and when encountered in children pneumothorax is often occult and might be associated with lung contusions. Existing evidence supports the usefulness of chest US in detecting pneumothorax in adults and suggests that it can be translated to injured children. However, our findings suggest that the sensitivity of lung US as a single-point anterior exam extension of the FAST exam might not be as reliable in the pediatric trauma population as in adults. Other methodologies using lung US might improve sensitivity.
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Pneumotórax/diagnóstico por imagem , Ultrassonografia/métodos , Ferimentos não Penetrantes/diagnóstico por imagem , Adolescente , Criança , Pré-Escolar , Feminino , Humanos , Lactente , Recém-Nascido , Pulmão/diagnóstico por imagem , Masculino , Sistema de Registros , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Sensibilidade e Especificidade , Centros de TraumatologiaRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to examine the stages of concern (self, task, and impact) and usability (trust, perceived usefulness, and ease of use) shifts experienced by nurses adopting new technology. BACKGROUND: Patient care processes in critical care units can be disrupted with the incorporation of information technology. New users of technology typically transition through stages of concern and experience shifts in acceptance during assimilation. METHODS: Critical care nurses (N = 41) were surveyed twice: (1) pre, immediately after training, and (2) post, 3 months after implementation of technology. RESULTS: From presurvey to postsurvey, self-concerns decreased 14%, whereas impact concerns increased 22%. Furthermore, there was a 30% increase in trust and a 17% increase in perceived usefulness, even with a 27% decrease in ease of use. CONCLUSION: Adoption of new technology requires critical care nurses to adapt current practices, which may improve trust and perceived usefulness yet decrease perceptions of ease of use.
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Atitude do Pessoal de Saúde , Atitude Frente aos Computadores , Tecnologia Biomédica/normas , Enfermagem de Cuidados Críticos/normas , Recursos Humanos de Enfermagem Hospitalar/psicologia , Adulto , Tecnologia Biomédica/tendências , Enfermagem de Cuidados Críticos/tendências , Feminino , Pesquisas sobre Atenção à Saúde , Humanos , Masculino , Meio-Oeste dos Estados Unidos , Recursos Humanos de Enfermagem Hospitalar/normas , Recursos Humanos de Enfermagem Hospitalar/tendências , Centros de Atenção Terciária/organização & administração , Centros de Atenção Terciária/tendências , Recursos HumanosRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Pediatric weight or body mass index often is underestimated by providers when relying solely upon visual cues. This study sought to determine physician assistant (PA) students' and recent graduates' ability to accurately assess BMI for age in patients ages 3 to 5 years using visual cues. METHODS: PA students and recent graduates visually assessed pictures of three children ages 3 to 5 years-one obese, one overweight, and one with healthy weight-for BMI categorization via online survey. Responses were scored for accuracy. RESULTS: Ninety-eight PA students and recent graduates completed the assessment. Accuracy for BMI categorization was low, especially in the obese and overweight children for visual assessment alone. Accuracy improved slightly when height and weight data were provided. CONCLUSIONS: PA student and recent graduate visual assessment for categorization of BMI is unreliable, similar to studies with other providers. PAs should be aware of discrepancy and not rely on visual assessment to determine weight-related interventions.
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Índice de Massa Corporal , Obesidade Infantil/diagnóstico , Fotografação , Assistentes Médicos/educação , Estudantes , Adulto , Pré-Escolar , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Variações Dependentes do Observador , Sobrepeso/diagnóstico , Autoeficácia , Adulto JovemRESUMO
Each year approximately 1 in 4 healthy older adults aged 65+ years and 1 in 2 aged 80+ years living in the community will fall. Fall-related injuries are the leading cause of death and disability and cost the United States approximately $31 billion annually. Currently, no repository of scene data exists that informs prevention programs regarding circumstances that contribute to older adult falls. This was a multicenter (4 sites: Kansas, Maryland, Oregon, and Texas) pilot study consisting of interviews of older (55+ years) patients who had been admitted to a trauma center with fall-related injuries. Questions included information regarding environment, behaviors, injuries, and demographics. Additional information was abstracted from patient medical record: comorbidities, medications, and discharge information. Data are presented descriptively. Forty-nine patients were interviewed: average age was 78 years; White (93.9%); female (53.1%); and most (63.3%) had fallen before. The most commonly reported fall factors and injuries included those occurring at home without agency services (65.0%), on hard flooring (51.1%), with laced shoes (44.2%), and with walkers (36.7%) and contained contusion/open wound of head (61.2%). Survey time was anecdotally estimated at 10-15 min. Preliminary data suggest that prevention efforts should emphasize on educating older adults to focus on ambulation, body position, and use of assistive devices in their daily activities. The development of a systematic and organized registry that documents scene data would inform public health agencies to develop fall prevention programs that promote older adult safety. Furthermore, it would provide a large sample size to test factor associations with injury severity.
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Acidentes por Quedas/prevenção & controle , Acidentes por Quedas/estatística & dados numéricos , Prevenção Primária/organização & administração , Sistema de Registros , Fatores Etários , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Feminino , Avaliação Geriátrica , Humanos , Incidência , Entrevistas como Assunto , Kansas/epidemiologia , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Avaliação das Necessidades , Projetos Piloto , Medição de Risco , Fatores Sexuais , Texas/epidemiologiaRESUMO
Compassion fatigue (CF) and burnout syndrome (BOS) are identified in trauma, emergency, and critical care nursing practices. The purpose of this qualitative study was to measure CF and BOS in a trauma team and allow them to share perceptions of related stress triggers and coping strategies. Surveys to measure CF and BOS and a focus group allowed a trauma team (12 practitioners) to share perceptions of related stress triggers and coping strategies. More than half scored at risk for CF and BOS. Stress triggers were described as situation (abuse, age of patient) versus injury-related. Personal coping mechanisms were most often reported. Both CF and BOS can be assessed with a simple survey tool. Strategies for developing a program culturally sensitive to CF and BOS are provided.
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Esgotamento Profissional/epidemiologia , Fadiga de Compaixão/psicologia , Pesquisa Qualitativa , Inquéritos e Questionários , Ferimentos e Lesões/enfermagem , Adaptação Psicológica , Adulto , Esgotamento Profissional/psicologia , Fadiga de Compaixão/epidemiologia , Feminino , Humanos , Incidência , Masculino , Equipe de Enfermagem/organização & administração , Medição de Risco , Centros de TraumatologiaAssuntos
Pneumotórax , Criança , Humanos , Pulmão , Estadiamento de Neoplasias , Centros de Traumatologia , UltrassonografiaRESUMO
OBJECTIVES: This study sought to evaluate a fall prevention toolkit, determine its ease of use and user satisfaction, and determine the preferred venue of distribution. METHODS: Three forms of assessment were used: focus groups, usability testing, and surveys. Focus group participants were recruited from four locations: two rural health clinics and two urban centers. Usability testing participants were recruited from two rural health clinics. Survey questions included self-reported prior falls, current fall prevention habits, reaction to the toolkit, and demographics. RESULTS: Participants reported the toolkit was attractive, well-organized, and easy to use, but may contain too much information. Most participants admitted they would not actively use the toolkit on their own, but prefer having it introduced by a healthcare provider or in a social setting. CONCLUSIONS: Healthcare focuses on customer satisfaction; therefore, providers benefit from knowing patient preferred methods of learning fall prevention strategies.
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Prevenção de Acidentes/métodos , Acidentes por Quedas/prevenção & controle , Aceitação pelo Paciente de Cuidados de Saúde/psicologia , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Feminino , Grupos Focais , Humanos , Masculino , Avaliação de Programas e Projetos de Saúde , Inquéritos e QuestionáriosRESUMO
A retrospective registry review of adult patients admitted to a Level I trauma center sought to determine whether results regarding in-hospital mortality associated with payer source vary on the basis of methodology. Patients were categorized into 4 literature-derived definitions (Definition 1: insured and uninsured; Definition 2: commercially insured, publicly insured, and uninsured; Definition 3: commercially insured, Medicaid, Medicare, and uninsured; and Definition 4: commercially insured, Medicaid, and uninsured). In-hospital mortality differences were found in Definitions 2 and 3, and when reclassifying dual-eligible Medicare/Medicaid into socioeconomic and age indicators. Variations in methodology culminated in results that could be interpreted with differing conclusions.
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Recursos em Saúde/economia , Disparidades em Assistência à Saúde , Mortalidade Hospitalar , Ferimentos e Lesões/mortalidade , Ferimentos e Lesões/terapia , Adulto , Idoso , Estudos de Coortes , Intervalos de Confiança , Feminino , Humanos , Modelos Logísticos , Masculino , Medicaid/economia , Medicaid/estatística & dados numéricos , Pessoas sem Cobertura de Seguro de Saúde/estatística & dados numéricos , Medicare/economia , Medicare/estatística & dados numéricos , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Sistema de Registros , Estudos Retrospectivos , Estatísticas não Paramétricas , Centros de Traumatologia/economia , Índices de Gravidade do Trauma , Estados Unidos , Ferimentos e Lesões/diagnóstico , Ferimentos e Lesões/economiaRESUMO
OBJECTIVES: Compare and assess information available on the Internet about the definition, symptoms, treatment, and return to play recommendations after a concussion. METHODS: The top 10 websites generated by a Google search on the keyword "concussion" were evaluated by two independent researchers and three medical professionals for definition, signs, symptoms, home treatment, care-seeking advice, and return to play recommendations. The medical professionals also rated their willingness to recommend each website to patients. RESULTS: Each website contained a general list of signs, symptoms, and home treatment. One website advised the use of ibuprofen, four advised against ibuprofen, and five made no medication recommendations. Nine websites contained guidance on seeking physician care, and eight recommended athletes not return to play until cleared by a healthcare professional. CONCLUSION: Nine of the websites contained information for each section evaluated; however, information was inconsistent. Healthcare providers should be aware of the variable quality of information available on the Internet and guide patients to more optimal resources.
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Concussão Encefálica , Sistemas On-Line , HumanosRESUMO
Postresuscitation debriefings allow team members to reflect on performance and discuss areas for improvement. Pre-/postsurveys of trauma team members (physicians, mid-level practitioners, technicians, pharmacists, and nurses) were administered to evaluate the acceptability of debriefings and self-perceptions after multidisciplinary trauma resuscitations. After a 3-month trial period, improvements were observed in perceptions of psychological and patient safety, role on team, team communication, and acceptability of the debriefing initiative. Regrouping for a debriefing requires organizational change, which may be more easily assimilated if team members recognize the potential for process improvement and feel confident about success.
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Competência Clínica , Comunicação Interdisciplinar , Equipe de Assistência ao Paciente/organização & administração , Ressuscitação/métodos , Ferimentos e Lesões/terapia , Adulto , Estado Terminal/enfermagem , Estado Terminal/terapia , Enfermagem em Emergência/organização & administração , Feminino , Pesquisas sobre Atenção à Saúde , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Melhoria de Qualidade , Inquéritos e Questionários , Ferimentos e Lesões/diagnósticoRESUMO
Research indicates patients want to discuss spirituality/religious (S/R) beliefs with their healthcare provider. This was a cross-sectional study of Kansas physician assistants (PA) regarding S/R in patient care. Surveys included questions about personal S/R beliefs and attitudes about S/R in patient care. Self-reported religious respondents agreed (92%) they should be aware of patient S/R; 82% agreed they should address it. Agreement with incorporating S/R increased significantly based on patient acuity. This research indicates Kansas PAs' personal S/R beliefs influence their attitudes toward awareness and addressing patient S/R.
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Conhecimentos, Atitudes e Prática em Saúde , Assistência ao Paciente , Assistentes Médicos/psicologia , Religião e Medicina , Espiritualidade , Adulto , Feminino , Humanos , Kansas , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-IdadeRESUMO
Restrictive fluid management (RFM) for hemodynamically unstable trauma patients has reduced mortality rates. The objective was to determine whether RFM benefits geriatric hip fracture patients, who are usually hemodynamically stable. Design: Retrospective propensity-matched study. Setting: Five Level I trauma centers (January 1, 2018-December 12, 2018). Patients: Geriatric patients (65 years or older) with hip fractures were included in this study. Patients with multiple injuries, nonoperative management, and preoperative blood products were excluded. Intervention: Patients were grouped by fluid volume (normal saline, lactated Ringer, dextrose, electrolytes, and medications) received preoperatively or ≤24 hours of arrival; patients with standard fluid management (SFM) received ≥150 mL and RFM <150 mL of fluids. Main Outcome Measurements: The primary outcomes were length of stay (LOS), delayed ambulation (>2 days postoperatively), and mortality. Paired Student t-tests, Wilcoxon paired rank sum tests, and McNemar tests were used; an α value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: There were 523 patients (40% RFM, 60% SFM); after matching, there were 95 patients per arm. The matched patients were well-balanced, including no difference in time from arrival to surgery. RFM and SFM patients received a median of 80 mL and 1250 mL of preoperative fluids, respectively (P < 0.001). Postoperative fluid volumes were 1550 versus 2000 mL, respectively, (P = 0.73), and LOSs were similar between the two groups (5 versus 5 days, P = 0.83). Mortality and complications, including acute kidney injuries, were similar. Delayed ambulation rates were similar overall. When stratified by preinjury ambulation status, SFM was associated with delayed ambulation for patients not walking independently before injury (P = 0.01), but RFM was not (P = 0.09). Conclusions: RFM seems to be safe in terms of laboratory results, complications, and disposition. SFM may lead to delayed ambulation for patients who are not walking independently before injury.
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The objective of this study was to quantify nation-wide interhospital variation in neurosurgical intervention risk by intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) type in the setting of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). This was a retrospective cohort study of adult (≥18 years) trauma patients included in the National Trauma Data Bank from 2007 to 2019 with an emergency department Glasgow Coma Scale score 13-15, diagnosed ICH, no skull fracture. The primary outcome was neurosurgical intervention. Interhospital variation was assessed by examining the best linear unbiased predictors (BLUPs) obtained from mixed-effects logistic regression with random slopes and intercepts for hospitals and covariates for time and 14 demographic, injury, and hospital characteristics; one model per ICH type. Intercept BLUPs are estimates of how different each hospital is from the average hospital (after covariate adjustment). The study population included 49,220 (7%) neurosurgical interventions among 666,842 patients in 1060 hospitals. In 2019, after adjusting for patient case-mix and hospital characteristics, the percentage of hospitals with hemorrhage-specific neurosurgical intervention risk significantly different from the average hospital was as follows: isolated unspecified hemorrhage (0% of 995 hospitals); isolated contusion/laceration (0.54% of 929); isolated epidural hemorrhage (0.39% of 778); isolated subarachnoid hemorrhage (0.10% of 1002); multiple hemorrhages (2.49% of 963); and isolated subdural hemorrhage (16.25% of 1028). In the setting of mTBI, isolated subdural hemorrhages were the only ICH type to have considerable interhospital variability. Causes for this significant variation should be elucidated and might include changing hemorrhage characteristics and practice patterns over time.
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There have been large changes over the past several decades to patient demographics in those presenting with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) with intracranial hemorrhage (ICH; complicated mTBI) with the potential to affect the use of neurosurgical interventions. The objective of this study was to characterize long-term trends of neurosurgical interventions in patients with complicated mTBI using 13 years of the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB). This was a retrospective cohort study of adult (≥18 years) trauma patients included in the NTDB from 2007 to 2019 who had an emergency department Glasgow Coma Scale score 13-15, an intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), and no skull fracture. Neurosurgical intervention time trends were quantified for each ICH type using mixed-effects logistic regression with random slopes and intercepts for hospitals, as well as covariates for time and 14 demographic, injury, and hospital characteristics. In total, 666,842 ICH patients across 1060 hospitals were included. The four most common hemorrhages were isolated subdural hemorrhage (36%), isolated subarachnoid hemorrhage (24%), multiple hemorrhage types (24%), and isolated unspecified hemorrhages (9%). Overall, 49,220 (7%) patients received a neurosurgical intervention. After adjustment, the odds of neurosurgical intervention significantly decreased every 10 years by the following odds ratios (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]): 0.85 [0.78, 0.93] for isolated subdural, 0.63 [0.51, 0.77] for isolated subarachnoid, 0.50 [0.41, 0.62] for isolated unspecified, and 0.79 [0.73, 0.86] for multiple hemorrhages. There were no significant temporal trends in neurosurgical intervention odds for isolated epidural hemorrhages (0.87 [0.68, 1.12]) or isolated contusions/lacerations (1.03 [0.75, 1.41]). In the setting of complicated mTBI, the four most common ICH types were associated with significant declines in the odds of neurosurgical intervention over the past decade. It remains unclear whether changing hemorrhage characteristics or practice patterns drove these trends.
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BACKGROUND: Severe sepsis/septic shock (sepsis) is a leading cause of death in hospitalized trauma patients. Geriatric trauma patients are an increasing proportion of trauma care but little recent, large-scale, research exists in this high-risk demographic. The objectives of this study are to identify incidence, outcomes and costs of sepsis in geriatric trauma patients. METHODS: Patients at short-term, nonfederal hospitals 65 years or older with ≥1 injury International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification code were selected from 2016 to 2019 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Medicare Inpatient Standard Analytical Files. Sepsis was defined as International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis codes R6520 and R6521. A log-linear model was used to examine the association of Sepsis with mortality, adjusting for age, sex, race, Elixhauser score, and Injury Severity Score. Dominance analysis using logistic regression was used to determine the relative importance of individual variables in predicting Sepsis. Institutional review board exemption was granted for this study. RESULTS: There were 2,563,436 hospitalizations from 3,284 hospitals (62.8% female; 90.4% White; 72.7% falls; median ISS, 6.0). Incidence of Sepsis was 2.1%. Sepsis patients had significantly worse outcomes. Mortality risk was significantly higher in septic patients (adjusted risk ratio, 3.98, 95% confidence interval, 3.92-4.04). Elixhauser score contributed the most to the prediction of Sepsis, followed by ISS (McFadden's R2 = 9.7% and 5.8%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Severe sepsis/septic shock occurs infrequently among geriatric trauma patients but is associated with increased mortality and resource utilization. Pre-existing comorbidities influence Sepsis occurrence more than Injury Severity Score or age in this group, identifying a population at high risk. Clinical management of geriatric trauma patients should focus on rapid identification and prompt aggressive action in high-risk patients to minimize the occurrence of sepsis and maximize survival. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic/Care Management; Level III.