Comprehensive Level One Trauma Center Could Lower In-hospital Mortality of Severe Trauma in China

Trauma is a major health and social problem in the US and China, It constitutes the main cause of death in people aged 45 or under in both countries112]. There is clear evidence from clinical studies that a large percentage of these deaths are needless and preventable if better treatment and prevention programs are available12-3].

Outcome predictors for severely brain-injured patients directly admitted or transferred from emergency departments to a trauma center

Dear editor,After sustaining severe traumatic brain injury(TBI),patients frequently require invasive mechanical ventilation(MV).However,up to 26%of patients require tracheostomy due to failure to wean from the ventilator.[1]The decision of when to perform tracheostomy is important as it balances the risk between avoiding prolonged MV and avoiding risk of tracheostomy.Early predictors for tracheostomy,i.e.,clinical factors when patients first present to an Emergency Department after trauma or when patient fi rst arrive at a regional trauma center,can help clinicians’medical decision-making process.

Changes and significance of serum troponin in trauma patients: A retrospective study in a level I trauma center

BACKGROUND: Elevated troponin I(TnI) is common among trauma patients. TnI is an indicator of myocardial injury, but clinical diagnosis of blunt cardiac injury cannot be based solely on an increase in TnI. Therefore, this study aims to explore the changes and clinical significance of serum TnI in trauma patients. METHODS: The clinical data of consecutive trauma patients admitted to our trauma center between July 1, 2017 and July 31, 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. According to TnI levels within 24 hours of admission, patients were divided into the elevated and normal TnI groups. According to the TnI levels after 7 days of admission, a graph depicting a change in trend was drawn and then analyzed whether TnI was related to in-hospital mortality. RESULTS: A total of 166 patients(69 and 97 cases with elevated and normal TnI, respectively) were included in this study. The average hospital stay, intensive care time, mechanical ventilation time, and in-hospital mortality were higher in the elevated TnI group than in the normal TnI group(P<0.05). The TnI level of trauma patients gradually increased after admission and peaked at 48 hours(7.804±1.537 ng/mL). Subsequently, it decreased, and then recovered to normal within 7 days. However, 13 patients did not recover. Logistic regression analysis revealed that abnormal TnI at 7 days was independently related to in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Trauma patients with elevated TnI levels may have a worse prognosis. Monitoring the changes in serum TnI is important, which can reflect the prognosis better than the TnI measured immediately after admission.

Follow-up strategy for early detection of delayed pseudoaneurysms in patients with blunt traumatic spleen injury: A single-center retrospective study

BACKGROUND The spleen is the most commonly injured solid organ in blunt abdominal trauma,and splenic pseudoaneurysm rupture is associated with a high risk of mortality.Nonoperative management has become the standard treatment for hemodynam-ically stable patients with splenic injuries.On the other hand,delayed splenic pseudoaneurysms can develop in any patient,and at present,there are no known risk factors that may reliably predict their occurrence.Furthermore,there is a lack of consensus regarding the most appropriate strategies for monitoring and mana-ging splenic injuries,especially lower-grade(I-III).AIM To determine the predictors of pseudo-aneurysm formation following splenic injury and develop follow-up strategies for early detection of pseudoaneurysms.METHODS We retrospectively analyzed patients who visited the Level I Trauma Center bet-ween January 2013 and December 2022 and were diagnosed with spleen injuries after blunt abdominal trauma.RESULTS Using the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma spleen injury scale,the splenic injuries were categorized into the following order based on severity:Grade I(n=57,17.6%),grade II(n=114,35.3%),grade III(n=89,27.6%),grade IV(n=50,15.5%),and grade V(n=13,4.0%).Of a total of 323 patients,35 underwent splenectomy and 126 underwent angioembolization.19 underwent delayed angioembolization,and 5 under-went both initial and delayed angioem-bolization.In 14 patients who had undergone delayed angioembolization,no extravasation or pseudoaneurysm was observed on the initial computed tomography scan.There are no particular patient-related risk factors for the formation of a delayed splenic pseudoaneurysm,which can occur even in a grade I spleen injury or even 21 days after the injury.The mean detection time for a delayed pseudoaneurysm was 6.26±5.4(1-21,median:6,inter-quartile range:2-9)days.CONCLUSION We recommend regular follow-up computed tomography scans,including an arterial and portal venous phase,at least 1 week and 1 month after injury in any grade of blunt traumatic spleen injury for the timely detection of delayed pseudoaneurysms.

Trauma care construction under the guidance of county-level trauma centers

Severe trauma has the characteristics of complicated condition, multiple organs involved, limitq auxiliary examinations, and difficulty in treatment. Most of the trauma patients were sent to prima hospitals to receive treatments. But the traditional mode of separate discipline management can easi lead to delayed treatment, missed or wrong diagnosis and high disability, which causes a high mc tality in severe trauma patients. Therefore, if the primary hospitals, especially county-level hospit~ （usually the top general hospital within the administrative region of a county）, can establish a sc entific and comprehensive trauma care system, the success rate of trauma rescue in this region can ] greatly improved. On March 1st, 2013, Tiantai People＇s Hospital of Zhejiang Province, China set up trauma care center, which integrated the pre-hospital and in-hospital trauma treatment procedur~ and has achieved good economic and social benefits. Till March 1st, 2017, 1265 severe trauma patier （injury severity score 〉16） have been treated in this trauma center. The rescue success rate reach~ 95~ and the delayed and]or missed diagnosis rate was less than 5%. Totally 86 severe cases of peK fractures with unstable hemodynamics were treated, and the success rate was 92%. The in-hospil emergency rescue response time is less than 3 min, and the time from definite diagnosis to surge is within 35 min.

A study of mortal让y risk factors among trauma referrals to trauma center, Shiraz, Iran, 2017

Purpose: Trauma is well known as one of the main causes of death and disability throughout the world. Identifying the risk factors for mortality in trauma patients can significantly improve the quality of care and patient outcomes, as well as reducing mortality rates. Methods:【n this retrospective cohort study, systematic randomization was used to select 849 patients referred to the main trauma center of south of Iran during a period of six months (February 2017-July 2017);the *patients case files were evaluated in terms of demographic information, pre- and post-accident conditions, clinical conditions at the time of admission and finally, accident outcomes. A logistic regression model was used to analyze the role of factors affecting mortality among subjects. Results: Among subjects, 60.4% were in the age-group of 15-39 years. There was a 10.4% mortality rate among patients and motor-vehicle accide nts were the most comm on mecha nism of injury (66.7%). Aging led to in creased risk of fatality in this study. For each urHt increase in Glasgow coma scale (GCS), risk of death decreased by about 40%(odds ratio (OR)= 0.63, 95% confidence interval (C/): 0.59—0.67). For each unit increase in injury severe score (ISS), risk of death increased by 10%(OR = 1.11%, 95% Cl: 1.08-1.14) and for each unit in crease in trauma revised injury severity score (TRISS), there was 18% decrease in the risk of fatality (OR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.71-0.88). Conclusion: The most common cause of trauma and the most common cause of death from trauma was traffic accidents. It was also found that an increase in the ISS index increases the risk of death in trauma patients, but the increase in GCS, revised trauma score (RTS) and TRISS indices reduces the risk of death in trauma patients. The TRISS indicator is better predictor of traumatic death than other indicators.

Epidemiology of livestock-related injuries in a major trauma center in Kashan, Iran

Objective： Livestock-related injuries are one of the important factors causing morbidity and mortality in patients admitted to hospital. Treatment of these patients is still a major problem in health care system. The aim of current study was to assess the epidemiology of livestock-related injuries in a major trauma center in Iran from 2006 to 2011. Methods： In a prospective study, patients with live- stock-related injuries who were consecutively admitted to the trauma center in Kashan, Iran between 2006 and 2011 were evaluated. The data collected included patient＇s demographics, place and nature of accident, damaged organ, educational level, transport and outcome. Data were expressed as mean±standard deviation. Results： A total of 129 patients were included in this study, accounting for 0.3% of all trauma admission （40 273 cases）. The mean age was （55.27±14.45） years. Men were affected four times more than women. Falling down from livestock is the main mechanism of trauma in all groups. Upper and lower extremities were most frequently injured （n=72）, followed by the head, neck and spine （n=33 for each）. There was one death resulting from livestock-related injury in this study. Conclusion： Despite the low incidence, livestock-related injuries can damage major organs of human body and therefore appropriate training program to increase the safety awareness in home and outdoor is very important.

Incidence and pattern of traumatic spine injury in a single level I trauma center of southern Iran

Purpose:Spine injury is one of the leading causes of death and mortality worldwide.The objective of this study was to determine the incidence,pattern and outcome of trauma patients with spine injury referred to the largest trauma center in southern Iran during the last 3 years.Methods:This is a cross-sectional study conducted between March 2018 and June 2021 in the largest trauma center in the southern Iran.The data collection form included the age,sex,injury location(cervical,thoracic,and lumbar),cause of injury(traffic accidents,falls,and assaults),length of hospital stay,injured segment of spine injury,severity of injury,and outcome.Statistical analyzes were performed using SPSS software version 24.Results:Totally 776 cases of spine injury were identified.The spine injury rate was 17.0%,and the mortality rate was 15.5%.Cervical spine injury(20.4%)more often occulted in motorcycle accident,and thoracic spine injury(20.1%)occulted in falls.The highest and lowest rates of spine injurys were related to lumbar spine injury(30.2%)and cervical spine injury(21.5%),respectively.There was a statistically significant relationship between the mechanism of injury and the location of spine injury(p<0.001).And patients with lumbar spine injury had the highest mortality rate(16.7%).Injury severity score(OR=1.041,p<0.001)and length of stay(OR=1.018,p<0.001)were strong predictors of mortality in trauma patients with spine injury.Conclusion:The results of the study showed that the incidence of traumatic spine injury rate was approximately 17.0%in southern of Iran.Road traffic injury and falls are the common mechanism of injury to spine.It is important to improve the safety of roads,and passengers,as well as work envi-ronment,and improve the quality of cars.Also,paying attention to the pattern of spine injury may assist to prevent the missing diagnosis of spine injury in multiple trauma patients.

Frequency of fall-related injuries of female patients referred to the trauma center in the city of Kashan from years 2005 to 2008

Objective： Falls are one of the life events leading to injury and in serious cases cause high morbidity and mortality. This research was conducted to determine the fall incidence among female population of Kashan city from the years 2005 to 2008. Methods： This was a retrospective research using existing data from the data bank of trauma center of Kashan University of Medical Sciences. Records of all the female patients treated at local hospitals with complete hospitalisation kept at the center were examined for 4 con- secutive years from 2005 to 2008. Results： A total of 2 094 female patients＇ records were examined. A significantly higher incidence of injuy occurred in 2008 compared to 2005 （P〈0.0001）. In addition, the highest frequency of injury occurred in age group above 65 years （31.9%） and in group with elementary education level （42.8%）. Conclusion： The results showed that fall incidences occurred in the old age group above 65 years. Fall injuries at this age may cause disability. Therefore, preventive measures should be taken, such as increasing the awareness of the aging population about the seriousness of fall incidence and encouraging the aged individuals to get involved in fitness program to remain physical fit and healthy.

Approach to traumatic cardiac arrest in the emergency department: a narrative literature review for emergency providers

BACKGROUND:Traumatic cardiac arrest(TCA)is a major contributor to mortality and morbidity in all age groups and poses a significant burden on the healthcare system.Although there have been advances in treatment modalities,survival rates for TCA patients remain low.This narrative literature review critically examines the indications and eff ectiveness of current therapeutic approaches in treating TCA.METHODS:We performed a literature search in the PubMed and Scopus databases for studies published before December 31,2022.The search was refi ned by combining search terms,examining relevant study references,and restricting publications to the English language.Following the search,943 articles were retrieved,and two independent reviewers conducted a screening process.RESULTS:A review of various studies on pre-and intra-arrest prognostic factors showed that survival rates were higher when patients had an initial shockable rhythm.There were conflicting results regarding other prognostic factors,such as witnessed arrest,bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation(CPR),and the use of prehospital or in-hospital epinephrine.Emergency thoracotomy was found to result in more favorable outcomes in cases of penetrating trauma than in those with blunt trauma.Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta(REBOA)provides an advantage to emergency thoracotomy in terms of occupational safety for the operator as an alternative in managing hemorrhagic shock.When implemented in the setting of aortic occlusion,emergency thoracotomy and REBOA resulted in comparable mortality rates.Veno-venous extracorporeal life support(V-V ECLS)and veno-arterial extracorporeal life support(V-A ECLS)are viable options for treating respiratory failure and cardiogenic shock,respectively.In the context of traumatic injuries,V-V ECLS has been associated with higher rates of survival to discharge than V-A ECLS.CONCLUSION:TCA remains a signifi cant challenge for emergency medical services due to its high morbidity and mortality rates.Pre-and intra-arrest prognostic factors can help identify patients who are likely to benefit from aggressive and resource-intensive resuscitation measures.Further research is needed to enhance guidelines for the clinical use of established and emerging therapeutic approaches that can help optimize treatment effi cacy and ameliorate survival outcomes.

原发性骨质疏松潜在生物标志物的生物信息学分析

背景:原发性骨质疏松症的发病率高,但发病机制尚不完全清楚,目前尚缺乏有效的早期筛查指标和治疗方案。目的:通过综合生物信息学分析,进一步探索原发性骨质疏松症的发生机制。方法:原发性骨质疏松症数据来自公共基因表达数据库,筛选差异基因分别进行GO功能和KEGG通路富集分析。此外,将差异基因进行蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用网络确定原发性骨质疏松症相关核心基因,并通过最小绝对收缩和选择运算算法来识别并验证原发性骨质疏松症相关的生物标志物,并分别进行免疫细胞相关分析、基因富集分析以及药物标靶网络分析。最后将生物标志物行qPCR实验验证。结果与结论:①该研究中共获得126个差异基因以及前列腺素、表皮生长因子受体、丝裂原活化蛋白激酶3、转化生长因子B1和视网膜母细胞瘤基因1等5个生物标志物。②GO分析表明差异基因主要富集在细胞对氧化应激的反应以及自噬的调节等方面;KEGG分析显示主要集中在自噬以及细胞衰老等通路当中。③生物标志物的免疫分析发现,前列腺素,视网膜母细胞瘤基因1、丝裂原活化蛋白激酶3与免疫细胞密切相关。④基因富集分析表明,生物标志物与免疫相关途径有关。⑤药物标靶网络分析显示5个生物标志物与原发性骨质疏松症药物相关。⑥qPCR结果表明,前列腺素、表皮生长因子受体、丝裂原活化蛋白激酶3和转化生长因子B1在原发性骨质疏松症样本中,与对照样本相比表达显著上升(P<0.001),而视网膜母细胞瘤基因1在原发性骨质疏松症样本中,与对照样本相比表达显著下降(P<0.001)。⑦总之,该研究筛选并验证了5个原发性骨质疏松潜在生物标志物,为进一步深入探究原发性骨质疏松症的发病机制、早期筛查诊断及靶向治疗提供了参考依据。

一种多重修饰血紫蛋白纳米氧载体的构建及体外性能检测

背景:血紫蛋白分子稳定性及生物相容性优于人和哺乳动物血红蛋白,经过修饰可能成为更加安全长效的红细胞代用品。目的:制备多重修饰血紫蛋白纳米微粒,进行理化性质表征及体外性能测试。方法:以切向流超滤法分离纯化方格星虫血紫蛋白,使用京尼平完成分子内交联,然后利用多巴胺完成纳米粒子封装,再用聚乙二醇完成钝化,获得多重修饰血紫蛋白纳米粒,表征该纳米粒的理化性质。将不同质量浓度(0,0.25,0.5,1.0,2.0 mg/mL)的血紫蛋白纳米粒、血紫蛋白、血红蛋白氧载体HBOC-201分别与巨噬细胞共同孵育6,24 h,与血管内皮细胞共同孵育24 h,采用CCK-8法检测细胞存活率,ELISA法检测血管内皮细胞培养液中一氧化氮及血管细胞黏附因子1水平。结果与结论:(1)血紫蛋白纳米粒电镜下呈现椭球形,有致密外膜,内部质地较为均匀,粒径为(150.12±1.67) nm,分散指数为0.21±0.03,Zeta电位为(-24.54±2.61) mV,半饱和氧分压为(0.97±0.15) kPa,Hill系数为1.49±0.16。(2)孵育6 h,在≤1.0 mg/mL质量浓度范围内,血紫蛋白纳米粒组、血紫蛋白组、HBOC-201组巨噬细胞存活率均在85%以上;在2.0 mg/mL质量浓度下,仅血紫蛋白纳米粒组巨噬细胞存活率在80%以上。孵育24 h,3组巨噬细胞存活率均低于80%,其中血紫蛋白纳米粒组巨噬细胞存活率高于血紫蛋白组、HBOC-201组(P <0.05)。(3)随着药物质量浓度的增加,3组血管内皮细胞存活率降低,在1.0 mg/mL或2.0 mg/mL质量浓度下,血紫蛋白纳米粒组细胞存活率高于血紫蛋白组、HBOC-201组(P <0.05);在相同质量浓度下,血紫蛋白纳米粒组一氧化氮水平高于血紫蛋白组、HBOC-201组(P <0.05);在0.25-2.0 mg/mL质量浓度范围内,血紫蛋白纳米粒组血管细胞黏附因子1水平低于血紫蛋白组、HBOC-201组(P <0.05)。(4)结果表明,经过分子内交联和聚多巴胺/聚乙二醇修饰的血紫蛋白纳米粒在体外具有良好的携氧活性,抗吞噬性能更优,细胞毒性更小。

Advancement in utilization of magnetic resonance imaging and biomarkers in the understanding of schizophrenia

Historically,psychiatric diagnoses have been made based on patient’s reported symptoms applying the criteria from diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders.The utilization of neuroimaging or biomarkers to make the diagnosis and manage psychiatric disorders remains a distant goal.There have been several studies that examine brain imaging in psychiatric disorders,but more work is needed to elucidate the complexities of the human brain.In this editorial,we examine two articles by Xu et al and Stoyanov et al,that show developments in the direction of using neuroimaging to examine the brains of people with schizo-phrenia and depression.Xu et al used magnetic resonance imaging to examine the brain structure of patients with schizophrenia,in addition to examining neurotransmitter levels as biomarkers.Stoyanov et al used functional magnetic resonance imaging to look at modulation of different neural circuits by diagnostic-specific scales in patients with schizophrenia and depression.These two studies provide crucial evidence in advancing our understanding of the brain in prevalent psychiatric disorders.

FK506 contributes to peripheral nerve regeneration by inhibiting neuroinflammatory responses and promoting neuron survival

FK506(Tacrolimus)is a systemic immunosuppressant approved by the U.S.Food and Drug Administration.FK506 has been shown to promote peripheral nerve regeneration,however,its precise mechanism of action and its pathways remain unclear.In this study,we established a rat model of sciatic nerve injury and found that FK506 improved the morphology of the injured sciatic nerve,increased the numbers of motor and sensory neurons,reduced inflammatory responses,markedly improved the conduction function of the injured nerve,and promoted motor function recovery.These findings suggest that FK506 promotes peripheral nerve structure recovery and functional regeneration by reducing the intensity of inflammation after neuronal injury and increasing the number of surviving neurons.

Imaging evaluation of traumatic thoracolumbar spine injuries: Radiological review

Spine fractures account for a large portion of musculoskeletal injuries worldwide. A classification of spine fractures is necessary in order to develop a common language for treatment indications and outcomes. Several classification systems have been developed based on injury anatomy or mechanisms of action, but they have demonstrated poor reliability, have yielded little prognostic information, and have not been widely used. For this reason, the Arbeitsgemeinschaftfür Osteosynthesefragen(AO) committee has classified thorocolumbar spine injuries based on the pathomorphological criteria into3 types(A: Compression; B: Distraction; C: Axial torque and rotational deformity). Each of these types is further divided into 3 groups and 3 subgroups reflecting progressive scale of morphological damage and the degree of instability. Because of its highly detailed sub classifications, the AO system has shown limited interobserver variability. It is similar to its predecessors in that it does not incorporate the patient's neurologic status.The need for a reliable, reproducible, clinically relevant, prognostic classification system with an optimal balance of ease of use and detail of injury description contributed to the development of a new classification system, the thoracolumbar injury classification and severity score(TLICS). The TLICS defines injury based on three clinical characteristics: injury morphology, integrity of the posterior ligamentous complex, and neurologic status of the patient. The severity score offers prognostic information and is helpful in decision making about surgical vs nonsurgical management.

Establishment of trauma registry at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital(QECH), Blantyre, Malawi and mapping of high risk geographic areas for trauma

BACKGROUND: Less attention is directed toward gaining a better understanding of the burden and prevention of injuries, in low and middle income countries(LMICs). We report the establishment of a trauma registry at the Adult Emergency and Trauma Centre(AETC) at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital(QECH) in Blantyre, Malawi and identify high risk geographic areas. METHODS: We devised a paper based two-page trauma registry form. Ten data clerks and all AETC clinicians were trained to complete demographic and clinical details respectively. Descriptive data, regression and hotspot analyses were done using STATA 15 statistical package and ArcGIS(16) software respectively.RESULTS: There were 3,747 patients from May 2013 to May 2015. The most common mechanisms of injury were assault(38.2%), and road traffi c injuries(31.6%). The majority had soft tissue injury(53.1%), while 23.8% had no diagnosis indicated. Fractures(OR 19.94 [15.34–25.93]), head injury and internal organ injury(OR 29.5 [16.29–53.4]), and use of ambulance(OR 1.57 [1.06–2.33]) were found to be predictive of increased odds of being admitted to hospital while assault(OR 0.69 [0.52–0.91]) was found to be associated with less odds of being admitted to hospital. Hot spot analysis showed that at 99% confidence interval, Ndirande, Mbayani and Limbe were the top hot spots for injury occurrence. CONCLUSION: We have described the process of establishing an integrated and potentially sustainable trauma registry. Signifi cant data were captured to provide details on the epidemiology of trauma and insight on how care could be improved at AETC and surrounding health facilities. This approach may be relevant in similar poor resource settings.

Neuroprotective effects of vagus nerve stimulation on traumatic brain injury

Previous studies have shown that vagus nerve stimulation can improve the prognosis of trau- matic brain injury. The aim of this study was to elucidate the mechanism of the neuroprotective effects of vagus nerve stimulation in rabbits with brain explosive injury. Rabbits with brain ex- plosive injury received continuous stimulation （10 V, 5 Hz, 5 ms, 20 minutes） of the right cervical vagus nerve. Tumor necrosis factor-a, interleukin-l~ and interleukin-10 concentrations were detected in serum and brain tissues, and water content in brain tissues was measured. Results showed that vagus nerve stimulation could reduce the degree of brain edema, decrease tumor necrosis factor-a and interleukin-1β concentrations, and increase interleukin-10 concentration after brain explosive injury in rabbits. These data suggest that vagus nerve stimulation may exert neuroprotective effects against explosive injury via regulating the expression of tumor necrosis factor-a, interleukin-1 β and interleukin-10 in the serum and brain tissue.

Cross-sectional study of the educational background and trauma knowledge of trainees in the “China trauma care training” program

Background:Since the trauma knowledge of trauma providers correlates with the outcomes of injured patients,this study aims to assess the socio-demographic characteristics and levels of trauma knowledge of trainees in the China trauma care training(CTCT)program in addition to their post-course test results to provide support for the development of trauma care training programs and trauma systems in China.Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted by collecting demographic information,hospital-related information and trauma knowledge of the trainees from 19 regions in China.All participants were assessed by questionnaires collecting the socio-demographic data,the trauma care knowledge levels and the information of the hospitals.Results:There were 955 males(78.9%)and 256 females(21.1%)enrolled.Among them,854 were physicians(70.5%),357 were registered nurses(29.5%).In addition,64 of them also played an administrative role in the hospitals(5.3%).The score of the trainees who were members of the emergency department staff(72.59±14.13)was the highest among the scores of all the personnel surveyed,followed by those of the trainees from the intensive care unit(ICU)(71.17±12.72),trauma surgery department(67.26±13.81),orthopedics department(70.36±14.48),general surgery department(69.91±14.79)and other departments(69.93±16.91),P=0.031.The score of the professors(73.09±15.05)was higher than those of the associate professors(72.40±14.71),lecturers(70.07±14.25)and teaching assistants(67.58±15.16),P<0.0001.The score of the individuals who attended experts’trauma lectures(72.22±14.45)was higher than that of individuals who did not attend the lectures(69.33±15.17),P=0.001.The mean scores before and after the training were 71.02±14.82 and 84.24±13.77,respectively,P<0.001.The mean score of trauma knowledge after the training of trainees from different provinces and with different educational backgrounds was higher than that before the training,with a statistically significant difference(P<0.05).Conclusions:The level of trauma knowledge of trauma care providers was associated with their department,professional position and previous participation in related academic conferences.Trauma care experience and participation in academic lectures and training program including CTCT may effectively improve individuals’level of trauma knowledge.

Advances in laparoscopy for acute care surgery and trauma

The greatest advantages of laparoscopy when compared to open surgery include the faster recovery times, shorter hospital stays, decreased postoperative pain, earlier return to work and resumption of normal daily activity as well as cosmetic benefits. Laparoscopy today is considered the gold standard of care in the treatment of cholecystitis and appendicitis worldwide. Laparoscopy has even been adopted in colorectal surgery with good results. The technological improvements in this surgical field along with the development of modern techniques and the acquisition of specific laparoscopic skills have allowed for its utilization in operations with fully intracorporeal anastomoses. Further progress in laparoscopy has included single-incision laparoscopic surgery and natural orifice trans-luminal endoscopic surgery. Nevertheless, laparoscopy for emergency surgery is still considered challenging and is usually not recommended due to the lack of adequate experience in this area. The technical difficulties of operating in the presence of diffuse peritonitis or large purulent collections and diffuse adhesions are also given as reasons. However, the potential advantages of laparoscopy, both in terms of diagnosis and therapy, are clear. Major advantages may be observed in cases with diffuse peritonitis secondary to perforated peptic ulcers,for example, where laparoscopy allows the confirmation of the diagnosis, the identification of the position of the ulcer and a laparoscopic repair with effective peritoneal washout. Laparoscopy has also revolutionized the approach to complicated diverticulitis even when intestinal perforation is present. Many other emergency conditions can be effectively managed laparoscopically, including trauma in select hemodynamically-stable patients. We have therefore reviewed the most recent scientific literature on advances in laparoscopy for acute care surgery and trauma in order to demonstrate the current indications and outcomes associated with a laparoscopic approach to the treatment of the most common emergency surgical conditions.

Prospective Evaluation of Post-Traumatic Vasospasm and Post-Injury Functional Outcome Assessment: Is Cerebral Ischemia Going Unrecognized in Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury?

Background: Secondary injury processes such as posttraumatic vasospasm (PTV) play a critical role in the development of cerebral ischemia/infarction after traumatic brain injury (TBI). The objectives of this study were to evaluate the incidence of cerebral vasospasm in patients with moderate to severe TBI and to assess post-injury functional outcome. Study Design: A prospective observational study was conducted in patients with moderate and severe blunt TBI. Transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound was performed within the first 72 hours and then daily for up to 7 days. Patient characteristics and outcome data including functional outcome as assessed by the Extended Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS-E) were collected and compared between patients with and without PTV. Results: Twenty-three patients met our inclusion criteria. While there was a 47.8% incidence of vasospasm as detected by TCD, there was no significant difference in hospital LOS or mortality between patients with and without PTV. Of the two patients with PTV who died, both had a cerebral infarct or cerebral ischemia. In evaluating overall GOS-E among patients with a cerebral focal injury, patients with PTV had a significantly higher GOS-E score when compared to patients without PTV (8.0 vs. 6.8, p = 0.01). Conclusions: The high incidence of PTV and the role of clinically significant vasospasm after TBI remain unclear. While functional outcome was better in patients with a focal injury and vasospasm, patients who died had cerebral ischemia or infarction. We hypothesize that there is an interaction between impaired cerebral autoregulation, PTV and poor outcomes in patients with TBI.