Spinal Immobilization in the Trauma Room – a Survey-Based Analysis at German Level I Trauma Centers

2019 ◽  
Vol 158 (06) ◽  
pp. 597-603
Author(s):  
Andreas Gather ◽  
Elena Spancken ◽  
Matthias Münzberg ◽  
Paul Alfred Grützner ◽  
Michael Kreinest
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Emergency Care ◽  
Standard Procedure ◽  
Patient Positioning ◽  
Trauma Patients ◽  
Trauma Centers ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Trauma Room ◽  
Spinal Immobilization ◽  
Level I

Abstract Background Spinal immobilization is a standard procedure in daily out-of-hospital emergency care. Homogenous recommendations concerning the immobilization of trauma patients during the first therapy in the emergency department do not exist. The aim of the current study was the analysis of the existing strategies concerning spinal immobilization in German level I trauma centers by an internet-based survey. Materials and Methods The current study is a survey-based analysis of the current strategies concerning spinal immobilization in all 107 level I trauma centers in Germany. The internet-based survey consists of 6 items asking about immobilization in the emergency department. Results The return rate was 47.7%. In 14 (28.6%) level I trauma centers the patients remained immobilized on the immobilization tool used by the professional emergency care providers. In 19 (38.8%) level I trauma centers the patients were transferred to a stretcher with a soft positioning mattress on it. Patient transfer to a spineboard or to a TraumaMattress was performed in 11 (22.4%) and 7 (14.3%) level I trauma centers, respectively. Trauma patients were never transferred to a vacuum mattress. Cervical spine protection was most of the time performed by a cervical collar (n = 48; 98.0%). In general, the surveyʼs participants were mainly satisfied (mean = 84/100) with the current strategy of spinal immobilization. The satisfaction was best if the spineboard is used. Discussion Patient positioning during initial emergency therapy in the emergency department of German level I trauma centers is highly heterogenous. Besides complete full body immobilization, also the lack of any immobilization was reported by the surveyʼs participants.

Does Gender Matter: A Multi-Institutional Analysis of Viscoelastic Profiles for 1565 Trauma Patients With Severe Hemorrhage

2021 ◽  
pp. 000313482110335
Author(s):  
Alison Smith ◽  
Juan Duchesne ◽  
Matthew Marturano ◽  
Shaun Lawicki ◽  
Kevin Sexton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alpha Angle ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Maximum Amplitude ◽  
Trauma Patients ◽  
Trauma Centers ◽  
Survival Difference ◽  
Severe Hemorrhage ◽  
Male Patients ◽  
Level I ◽  
Clot Formation Time

Background Viscoelastic tests including thromboelastography (TEG) and rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) are being used in patients with severe hemorrhage at trauma centers to guide resuscitation. Several recent studies demonstrated hypercoagulability in female trauma patients that was associated with a survival advantage. The objective of our study was to elucidate the effects of gender differences in TEG/ROTEM values on survival in trauma patients with severe hemorrhage. Methods A retrospective review of consecutive adult patients receiving massive transfusion protocol (MTP) at 7 Level I trauma centers was performed from 2013 to 2018. Data were stratified by gender and then further examined by TEG or ROTEM parameters. Results were analyzed using univariate and multi-variate analyses. Results A total of 1565 patients were included with 70.9% male gender (n = 1110/1565). Female trauma patients were older than male patients (43.5 ± .9 vs 41.1 ± .6 years, P = .01). On TEG, females had longer reaction times (6.1 ± .9 min vs 4.8 ± .2 min, P = .03), increased alpha angle (68.6 ± .8 vs 65.7 ± .4, P < .001), and higher maximum amplitude (59.8 ± .8 vs 56.3 ± .4, P < .001). On ROTEM, females had significantly longer clot time (99.2 ± 13.7 vs 75.1 ± 2.6 sec, P = .09) and clot formation time (153.6 ± 10.6 sec vs 106.9 ± 3.8 sec, P < .001). When comparing by gender, no difference for in-hospital mortality was found for patients in the TEG or ROTEM group ( P > .05). Multivariate analysis showed no survival difference for female patients (OR 1.11, 95% CI .83-1.50, P = .48). Conclusions Although a difference between male and females was found on TEG/ROTEM for certain clotting parameters, no difference in mortality was observed. Prospective multi-institutional studies are needed.

Children and Terror Casualties Receive Preference in ICU Admissions

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kobi Peleg ◽  
Michael Rozenfeld ◽  
Eran Dolev ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Accidents ◽  
Injury Severity ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Trauma Patients ◽  
Trauma Centers ◽  
Severe Injuries ◽  
Level I ◽  
Hospital Emergency Departments ◽  
Trauma Type

ABSTRACTObjective: Trauma casualties caused by terror-related events and children injured as a result of trauma may be given preference in hospital emergency departments (EDs) due to their perceived importance. We investigated whether there are differences in the treatment and hospitalization of terror-related casualties compared to other types of injury events and between children and adults injured in terror-related events.Methods: Retrospective study of 121 608 trauma patients from the Israel Trauma Registry during the period of October 2000-December 2005. Of the 10 hospitals included in the registry, 6 were level I trauma centers and 4 were regional trauma centers. Patients who were hospitalized or died in the ED or were transferred between hospitals were included in the registry.Results: All analyses were controlled for Injury Severity Score (ISS). All patients with ISS 1-24 terror casualties had the highest frequency of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions when compared with patients after road traffic accidents (RTA) and other trauma. Among patients with terror-related casualties, children were admitted to ICU disproportionally to the severity of their injury. Logistic regression adjusted for injury severity and trauma type showed that both terror casualties and children have a higher probability of being admitted to the ICU.Conclusions: Injured children are admitted to ICU more often than other age groups. Also, terror-related casualties are more frequently admitted to the ICU compared to those from other types of injury events. These differences were not directly related to a higher proportion of severe injuries among the preferred groups.(Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2012;6:14–19)

Assessment of Mortality in Older Trauma Patients Sustaining Injuries from Falls or Motor Vehicle Collisions Treated in Regional Level I Trauma Centers

2009 ◽  
Vol 249 (3) ◽  
pp. 488-495 ◽  
Author(s):  
John S. Sampalis ◽  
Robin Nathanson ◽  
Julie Vaillancourt ◽  
Andreas Nikolis ◽  
Moishe Liberman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
Regional Level ◽  
Trauma Patients ◽  
Trauma Centers ◽  
Motor Vehicle Collisions ◽  
Vehicle Collisions ◽  
Level I

Prehospital Vital Signs Accurately Predict Initial Emergency Department Vital Signs

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 254-259
Author(s):  
Marc D. Trust ◽  
Morgan Schellenberg ◽  
Subarna Biswas ◽  
Kenji Inaba ◽  
Vincent Cheng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Intraclass Correlation ◽  
Vital Signs ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Trauma Team ◽  
Urban Setting ◽  
Trauma Patients ◽  
Level I ◽  
Gcs Score ◽  
Good Agreement

AbstractIntroduction:Prehospital vital signs are used to triage trauma patients to mobilize appropriate resources and personnel prior to patient arrival in the emergency department (ED). Due to inherent challenges in obtaining prehospital vital signs, concerns exist regarding their accuracy and ability to predict first ED vitals.Hypothesis/Problem:The objective of this study was to determine the correlation between prehospital and initial ED vitals among patients meeting criteria for highest levels of trauma team activation (TTA). The hypothesis was that in a medical system with short transport times, prehospital and first ED vital signs would correlate well.Methods:Patients meeting criteria for highest levels of TTA at a Level I trauma center (2008-2018) were included. Those with absent or missing prehospital vital signs were excluded. Demographics, injury data, and prehospital and first ED vital signs were abstracted. Prehospital and initial ED vital signs were compared using Bland-Altman intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) with good agreement as >0.60; fair as 0.40-0.60; and poor as <0.40).Results:After exclusions, 15,320 patients were included. Mean age was 39 years (range 0-105) and 11,622 patients (76%) were male. Mechanism of injury was blunt in 79% (n = 12,041) and mortality was three percent (n = 513). Mean transport time was 21 minutes (range 0-1,439). Prehospital and first ED vital signs demonstrated good agreement for Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score (ICC 0.79; 95% CI, 0.77-0.79); fair agreement for heart rate (HR; ICC 0.59; 95% CI, 0.56-0.61) and systolic blood pressure (SBP; ICC 0.48; 95% CI, 0.46-0.49); and poor agreement for pulse pressure (PP; ICC 0.32; 95% CI, 0.30-0.33) and respiratory rate (RR; ICC 0.13; 95% CI, 0.11-0.15).Conclusion:Despite challenges in prehospital assessments, field GCS, SBP, and HR correlate well with first ED vital signs. The data show that these prehospital measurements accurately predict initial ED vitals in an urban setting with short transport times. The generalizability of these data to settings with longer transport times is unknown.

Extreme Interventions for Trauma Patients in Extremis: Variations among Trauma Centers

2017 ◽  
Vol 83 (10) ◽  
pp. 1033-1039
Author(s):  
Galinos Barmparas ◽  
Ara Ko ◽  
Navpreet K. Dhillon ◽  
James M. Tatum ◽  
Mark Choi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Trauma Patient ◽  
National Level ◽  
Trauma Patients ◽  
Trauma Centers ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Emergency Department Thoracotomy ◽  
National Trauma ◽  
High Level ◽  
Trauma Surgeons

Although guidelines for the performance of an emergency department thoracotomy (EDT) are available, high level evidence remains scarce potentially leading to variation in decisions and practices among trauma surgeons. The National Trauma Databank was queried for all subjects who died in the emergency department (ED) between 2007 and 2011. Trauma centers were divided into four quartiles based on the rate of EDTamong ED deaths. A total of 31,623 subjects admitted to 729 trauma centers met inclusion criteria. Most of of these centers (n = 328, 53%) never performed an EDT during the study period. Very few outlier centers (1.1%) performed this procedure in 50.0 per cent or more of all patients who died in the ED. Trauma centers in the highest quartiles in performing EDT were more likely to intervene with both surgical and nonsurgical procedures in patients who died in the ED, independent of the performance of an EDT. There are significant variations among trauma centers in the management of trauma patients who expire in the ED. Further research at a national level toward standardizing the management of the trauma patient in extremis and the decision to perform an EDT is necessary, given the extremely low survival associated with this procedure.

scholarly journals Inter-observer agreement using the Canadian Emergency Department Triage and Acuity Scale

CJEM ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 4 (01) ◽  
pp. 16-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daria Manos ◽  
David A. Petrie ◽  
Robert C. Beveridge ◽  
Stephen Walter ◽  
James Ducharme
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Emergency Care ◽  
Life Support ◽  
Vital Signs ◽  
Advanced Life Support ◽  
Emergency Department Patient ◽  
Observer Agreement ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Emergency Department Triage ◽  
Triage Level

ABSTRACTObjective:To determine the inter-observer agreement on triage assignment by first-time users with diverse training and background using the Canadian Emergency Department Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS).Methods:Twenty emergency care providers (5 physicians, 5 nurses, 5 Basic Life Support paramedics and 5 Advanced Life Support paramedics) at a large urban teaching hospital participated in the study. Observers used the 5-level CTAS to independently assign triage levels for 42 case scenarios abstracted from actual emergency department patient presentations. Case scenarios consisted of vital signs, mode of arrival, presenting complaint and verbatim triage nursing notes. Participants were not given any specific training on the scale, although a detailed one-page summary was included with each questionnaire. Kappa values with quadratic weights were used to measure agreement for the study group as a whole and for each profession.Results:For the 41 case scenarios analyzed, the overall agreement was significant (quadratic-weighted κ = 0.77, 95% confidence interval, 0.76–0.78). For all observers, modal agreement within one triage level was 94.9%. Exact modal agreement was 63.4%. Agreement varied by triage level and was highest for Level I (most urgent). A reasonably high level of intra- and inter-professional agreement was also seen.Conclusions:Despite minimal experience with the CTAS, inter-observer agreement among emergency care providers with different backgrounds was significant.

Selective Use of Cardiopulmonary Bypass in Trauma Patients

2005 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-50
Author(s):  
Christine Dauphine ◽  
Charles Mckay ◽  
Christian De Virgilio ◽  
Bassam Omari
Keyword(s):  
Cardiopulmonary Bypass ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Operative Management ◽  
Hemodynamic Instability ◽  
Trauma Patients ◽  
Trauma Centers ◽  
Chest Injuries ◽  
Life Saving ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Level I

The need for cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) in the treatment of trauma patients is controversial, and not all level I trauma centers have CPB readily available. Our purpose was to review the selective use of CPB in the management of trauma victims at a level I trauma center in Los Angeles County. We reviewed the records of all patients for whom the CPB team was called in from 1994 to 2002. Perfusionists were present for the initial operative management of 24 patients, 22 (92%) of which were male. Twelve patients had penetrating and nine had blunt injuries, two were severely hypothermic, and the last suffered embolization of a bullet to the pulmonary artery. Overall survival was 75 per cent. Sixteen (67%) patients required CPB due to the life-threatening nature of their injuries and/or hemodynamic instability; 11 (69%) survived. The remaining 8 patients were operated on with the CPB team present but on standby; 7 (88%) survived. Cardiopulmonary bypass could be life-saving in select trauma patients with major chest injuries. Hypothermia, acidemia, and shock can be reversed earlier while allowing increased time to gain adequate exposure and perform quality repairs. Level I trauma centers should have CPB capabilities immediately available.

The G60 Trauma Center: A Future Consideration?

2017 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. 547-553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marko Bukur ◽  
Joshua Simon ◽  
Joseph Catino ◽  
Margaret Crawford ◽  
Ivan Puente ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Elderly Patients ◽  
Trauma Center ◽  
Injury Severity ◽  
Head Injuries ◽  
Major Complication ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Trauma Patients ◽  
Trauma Centers ◽  
Failure To Rescue ◽  
Level I

With a considerably increasing elderly population, we sought to determine whether the volume of elderly trauma patients treated impacted outcomes at two different Level I trauma centers. This is a retrospective review of all elderly patients (>60 years) at two state-verified Level I trauma centers over the past five years. The elderly trauma center (ETC) saw a greater proportion (52%) of elderly patients than the reference trauma center (30%, TC). Demographic and clinical characteristics were abstracted and stratified into ETC and TC groups for comparison. Primary outcomes were overall postinjury complication and mortality rates, as well as death after major complication (failure to rescue). ETC patients were older (78.6 vs 70.5), more likely to be admitted with severe head injuries (head abbreviated injury score ≥ 3, 50.0% vs 32%), had a greater overall injury burden (injury severity score > 16 41.4% vs 21.1%), and required intensive care unit admission (81.3% vs 64%) than the TC group. Need for operative intervention, mechanism of injury, and comorbidities were similar between the two groups. Overall complications were higher in trauma patients admitted to the TC (21.9% vs 14.3%), as well as failure to rescue (4.0% vs 1.8%). Adjusting for confounding factors, ETC had significantly lower chance of developing a postinjury complication (adjusted odds ratios [AOR] = 0.4, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.3, 0.5]), failure to rescue (AOR = 0.3, 95% CI = [0.1, 0.5]), and overall mortality (AOR = 0.3, 95% CI = [0.2, 0.4]). Improved outcomes were demonstrated in the Level I center treating a higher proportion of elderly patients. Exact etiology of these benefits should be determined for quality improvement in care of the injured geriatric patient.

The ‘Mortality Ascent’: Risk of Death for Hemodynamically-Unstable Trauma Patients at Level II vs Level I Trauma Centers Rises at 4 Hours and Peaks at 7 Hours after Admission

2016 ◽  
Vol 223 (4) ◽  
pp. e55
Author(s):  
Juan P. Herrera-Escobar ◽  
Arturo J. Rios-Diaz ◽  
Ritam Chowdhury ◽  
Cheryl K. Zogg ◽  
Lindsey Wolf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trauma Patients ◽  
Trauma Centers ◽  
Risk Of Death ◽  
Level Ii ◽  
Level I
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