Disparities in the management of paediatric splenic injury.

BACKGROUND: The non-operative management of splenic injury in children is recommended widely, and is possible in over 95 per cent of episodes. Practice appears to vary between centres. METHODS: The Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN) database was interrogated to determine the management of isolated paediatric splenic injuries in hospitals in England and Wales. Rates of non-operative management, duration of hospital stay, readmission and mortality were recorded. Management in paediatric surgical hospitals was compared with that in adult hospitals. RESULTS: Between January 2000 and December 2015 there were 574 episodes. Children treated in a paediatric surgical hospital had a 95·7 per cent rate of non-operative management, compared with 75·5 per cent in an adult hospital (P < 0·001). Splenectomy was done in 2·3 per cent of children in hospitals with a paediatric surgeon and in 17·2 per cent of those treated in an adult hospital (P < 0·001). There was a significant difference in the rate of non-operative management in children of all ages. There was some improvement in non-operative management in adult hospitals in the later part of the study, but significant ongoing differences remained. CONCLUSION: The management of children with isolated splenic injury is different depending on where they are treated. The rate of non-operative management is lower in hospitals without a paediatric surgeon present.

Temporal trends in head injury outcomes from 2003 to 2009 in England and Wales.

BACKGROUND: Case fatality rates after blunt head injury (HI) did not improve in England and Wales between 1994 and 2003. The United Kingdom National Institute of Clinical Excellence subsequently published HI management guidelines, including the recommendation that patients with severe head injuries (SHIs) should be treated in specialist neuroscience units (NSU). The aim of this study was to investigate trends in case fatality and location of care since the introduction of national HI clinical guidelines. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using prospectively recorded data from the Trauma and Audit Research Network (TARN) database for patients presenting with blunt trauma between 2003 and 2009. Temporal trends in log odds of death adjusted for case mix were examined for patients with and without HI. Location of care for patients with SHI was also studied by examining trends in the proportion of patients treated in non-NSUs. RESULTS: Since 2003, there was an average 12% reduction in adjusted log odds of death per annum in patients with HI (n=15,173), with a similar but smaller trend in non-HI trauma mortality (n=48,681). During the study period, the proportion of patients with HI treated entirely in non-NSUs decreased from 31% to 19%, (p <0.01). INTERPRETATION: The reduction in odds of death following HI since 2003 is consistent with improved management following the introduction of national HI guidelines and increased treatment of SHI in NSUs.

Improved outcomes for hepatic trauma in England and Wales over a decade of trauma and hepatobiliary surgery centralisation.

BACKGROUND: Over the last decade trauma services have undergone a reconfiguration in England and Wales. The objective is to describe the epidemiology, management and outcomes for liver trauma over this period and examine factors predicting survival. METHODS: Patients sustaining hepatic trauma were identified using the Trauma Audit and Research Network database. Demographics, management and outcomes were assessed between January 2005 and December 2014 and analysed over five, 2-year study periods. Independent predictor variables for the outcome of liver trauma were analysed using multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: 4368 Patients sustained hepatic trauma (with known outcome) between January 2005 and December 2014. Median age was 34 years (interquartile range 23-49). 81% were due to blunt and 19% to penetrating trauma. Road traffic collisions were the main mechanism of injury (58.2%). 241 patients (5.5%) underwent liver-specific surgery. The overall 30-day mortality rate was 16.4%. Improvements were seen in early consultant input, frequency and timing of computed tomography (CT) scanning, use of tranexamic acid and 30-day mortality over the five time periods. Being treated in a unit with an on-site HPB service increased the odds of survival (odds ratio 3.5, 95% confidence intervals 2.7-4.5). CONCLUSIONS: Our study has shown that being treated in a unit with an on-site HPB service increased the odds of survival. Further evaluation of the benefits of trauma and HPB surgery centralisation is warranted.

A review of the management of blunt splenic trauma in England and Wales: have regional trauma networks influenced management strategies and outcomes?

INTRODUCTION The spleen remains one of the most frequently injured organs following blunt abdominal trauma. In 2012, regional trauma networks were launched across England and Wales with the aim of improving outcomes following trauma. This retrospective cohort study investigated the management and outcomes of blunt splenic injuries before and after the establishment of regional trauma networks. METHODS A dataset was drawn from the Trauma Audit Research Network database of all splenic injuries admitted to English and Welsh hospitals from 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2014. Demographic data, injury severity, treatment modalities and outcomes were collected. Management and outcomes were compared before and after the launch of regional trauma networks. RESULTS There were 1457 blunt splenic injuries: 575 between 2010 and 2012 and 882 in 2012-14. Following the introduction of the regional trauma networks, use of splenic artery embolotherapy increased from 3.5% to 7.6% (P = 0.001) and splenectomy rates decreased from 20% to 14.85% (P = 0.012). Significantly more patients with polytrauma and blunt splenic injury were treated with splenic embolotherapy following 2012 (61.2% vs. 30%, P < 0.0001). Increasing age, injury severity score, polytrauma and Charlson Comorbidity Index above 10 were predictors of increased mortality (P < 0.001). Increasing systolic blood pressure (odds ratio, OR, 0.757, 95% confidence interval, CI, 0.716-0.8) and Glasgow Coma Scale (OR 0.988, 95% CI 0.982-0.995) were protective. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates a reduction in splenectomy rate and an increased use of splenic artery embolotherapy since the introduction of the regional trauma networks. This may have resulted from improved access to specialist services and reduced practice variation since the establishment of these networks.

Potential antifertility agents. 6. Synthesis and biological activities of optical isomers of 4 beta-(p-methozyphenyl)-2 beta-methylcyclohexane-alpha-carboxylic acid and related compounds.

PIP: The optical isomers of the title compound were synthesized and the biological potencies of the two enantiomers were compared. There was essentially no difference in their hypocholesterolemic activities, as had been predicted, and little or no difference between their uterotropic potencies. The approximately equal uterotropic activities seen with the enantiomers is explained in terms of stereochemical requirements at the receptor level for an estrogenic response. A working model of an estrogenic receptor is proposed. An accompanying paper provides support for the proposed model.^ieng

Potential antifertility agents. 3. Substituted dibenzothiophenecarboxylic acids and derivatives.

PIP: The syntheses of 37 derivatives of 4-methyldibenzothiophene-3carboxylic acid were reported. Compounds were assayed for their estrogenic and antifertility activities in female mice and rats. In general cis isomers were more active than the trans. In certain postcoital dosing regimens, 2 analogs were more active in preventing or terminating pregnancy in rats than would have been predicted on the basis of their estrogenicity. The effectiveness of these 2 compounds in preventing pregnancy was 100 percent when administered on days 1-5 postcoitum in 1 mg. /kg. / day doses to rats. Effectiveness was the same whether administered orally or slbcutaneously.^ieng

Epidemiology of in-hospital trauma deaths.

PURPOSE: About half of all trauma-related deaths occur after hospital admission. The present study tries to characterize trauma deaths according to the time of death, and, thereby, contributes to the discussion about factors considered as the cause of death. METHODS: Data from two large European trauma registries (Trauma Registry of the German Society of Trauma Surgery, TR-DGU, and the Trauma Audit and Research Network, TARN) were analyzed in parallel. All hospital deaths with Injury Severity Score (ISS) > 9 documented between 2000 and 2010 were considered. Patients were categorized into five subgroups according to the time to death (0-6 h; 7-24 h; day 1-6; day 7-30; beyond day 30). Surviving patients from the same time period served as a control group. RESULTS: In total, 6,685 and 6,867 non-survivors were included from the TR-DGU and TARN, respectively. The hospital mortality rate was between 15 and 17%. About half of all deaths occurred within the first 24 h after admission (TR-DGU: 54%; TARN: 45%). The earliest subgroup of trauma deaths showed the highest mean ISS and the highest rate of mass transfusions. Severe head injury was most frequently observed in the subgroup of day 1-6. Late deaths are associated with higher age and more complications (sepsis, multiple organ failure). CONCLUSIONS: The time to death after severe trauma does not follow a trimodal distribution but shows a constantly decreasing incidence.

The Tabby phenotype is caused by mutation in a mouse homologue of the EDA gene that reveals novel mouse and human exons and encodes a protein (ectodysplasin-A) with collagenous domains.

Mouse Tabby (Ta) and X chromosome-linked human EDA share the features of hypoplastic hair, teeth, and eccrine sweat glands. We have cloned the Ta gene and find it to be homologous to the EDA gene. The gene is altered in two Ta alleles with a point mutation or a deletion. The gene is expressed in developing teeth and epidermis; no expression is seen in corresponding tissues from Ta mice. Ta and EDA genes both encode alternatively spliced forms; novel exons now extend the 3' end of the EDA gene. All transcripts recovered have the same 5' exon. The longest Ta cDNA encodes a 391-residue transmembrane protein, ectodysplasin-A, containing 19 Gly-Xaa-Yaa repeats. The isoforms of ectodysplasin-A may correlate with differential roles during embryonic development.