The correlations between D-dimer and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), pupillary light reflex, distance of midline shift on brain computed tomography (CT), and Glasgow Outcome Score (GOS) in patients with trauma/non-trauma intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) are not consistent in studies. Ninety-eight traumatic and 59 non-traumatic ICH patients were studied. Pre-existing venous thrombosis, ...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the occurrence and severity of traumatic brain injury in patients with traumatic spinal cord injury. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study with prospective neurological, neuropsychological and neuroradiological examinations and retrospective medical record review. PATIENTS: Thirty-one consecutive, traumatic spinal cord injury patients on their first post-acute rehabilitation period in a national ...

BACKGROUND: We wished to determine the characteristics of patients with pelvic ring fractures (PGs) in England and Wales, make comparisons to major trauma patients without pelvic injury (NPGs), and determine factors predicting mortality, including the impact of presence of pelvic reconstruction facilities in the receiving hospitals on outcome. METHODS: Prospective ...

BACKGROUND: Early identification of patients at risk for delayed recovery after an injury is important to effectively target rehabilitation. This study presents a new instrument, the Prediction of Prolonged Self-Perceived Recovery After Musculoskeletal Injuries questionnaire (PPS), for prediction of self-perceived nonrecovery after musculoskeletal injuries. METHODS: On the basis of a ...

Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injuries are less common than other knee injuries and may result in a spectrum of symptoms and disability. The predictive factors that may determine which patients with isolated PCL lesions will develop knee pain and degenerative arthritis have yet to be identified. As such, the optimal ...

Patients with trauma-associated acute lung injury have better outcomes than patients with other clinical risks for lung injury, but the mechanisms behind these improved outcomes are unclear. We sought to compare the clinical and biological features of patients with trauma-associated lung injury with those of patients with other risks for ...

Three cases of severe globe injuries due to scleral fragility in osteogenesis imperfecta patients between the ages of 4 and 15 years are reported. Patient 1 had complete loss of vision. Patients 2 and 3 suffered non-sight-threatening scleral perforation. All 3 patients had no previous knowledge of recommendation for eyewear ...

BACKGROUND: Previous studies addressing the relationship between anticoagulation and risk of traumatic intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) have provided conflicting results, and have examined infrequently elderly patients after falls. We used a statewide hospital discharge database to test the hypothesis that long-term anticoagulation (LTA) increases the likelihood of traumatic ICH and subsequent ...

Elevated serum levels of thrombomodulin (TM) and von Willebrand factor (vWf) are good indicators of injury and activation of cerebral endothelium in patients with severe simple head injury. The present study evaluated cerebral endothelial injury or activation as the serum levels of TM and vWf in elderly and younger patients ...

BACKGROUND: In spite of the decline in mortality among trauma patients, with advanced trauma care, the outcome for elderly patients remains poor. Both operative and nonoperative outcome for elderly patients after head trauma has resisted improvement. METHODS: Forty-five consecutive patients 70 years or older were included in the study. All ...

The emergence of prothrombotic agents (e.g. activated factor VII) to treat traumatic brain injury (TBI) requires a better understanding of the association of coagulopathy with isolated head injury (IHI). OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of IHI and coagulopathy. METHODS: Prospective, observational study in an urban level I trauma center. Inclusion ...

BACKGROUND: In patients with severe head injury, control of physiological variables is important to avoid intracranial hypertension and secondary injury to the brain. The aims of this retrospective study were to evaluate deviations of physiological variables and the incidence of extracranial complications in patients with severe head injury. We also ...

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the precision of our trauma triage protocol [based on the American College of Surgeons, Committee on Trauma (ACS COT)] in identifying severely injured defined as an injury severity score (ISS) > 15. Our hypothesis was that isolated mechanism-of-injury criteria were ...

Anecdotal reports suggest that blunt trauma and seemingly innocuous musculoskeletal injuries (e.g., muscle strains) are risk factors for developing necrotizing fasciitis (NF) and myositis caused by group A Streptococcus and other bacteria; however, this hypothesis has not been tested in analytic epidemiologic studies of invasive group A streptococcal (GAS) disease. ...

BACKGROUND: Elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) as a marker for diagnosis, and assessment of severity in patients with blunt hepatic injuries are hitherto un-described or casually mentioned in literature. METHODS: Prospective observational study of all patients admitted with blunt abdominal trauma accrued between May 2002 and December 2003. Upon admission, ...

BACKGROUND: Non-surgical treatment has become the therapeutic method of choice in hemodynamically stable patients with liver trauma. There are a few reports of endoscopic management of traumatic hepatobiliary injuries in such patients; however, the optimal intervention is not known. METHODS: Twenty patients with traumatic hepatobiliary injuries from May 1997 to ...

OBJECTIVES: To measure preoperative delays and clinical outcomes of patients with extradural haemorrhage, comparing patients presenting to hospitals with no neurosurgical facilities, with those presenting directly to neurosurgical centres. METHODS: Retrospective case study with data collected from 10 centres. Patients were identified with a search of the Queensland Trauma Registry ...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of teleradiology upon the need for transfer of head injured victims requiring hospitalisation but referred initially to a rural level 2 trauma centre without neurosurgical capacity. METHODS: Head injured patients requiring hospitalisation, admitted to a rural level 2 trauma centre between August 2003 and August ...

BACKGROUND: The assessment of multiple aspects of male sexual function after pelvic fracture. METHODS: A cross-sectional retrospective study of male sexual function was conducted. Patients admitted with traumatic pelvic fracture between January 1995 and June 2001 were included. One hundred and two patients were invited by mail. After performing a ...

BACKGROUND: Head growth rates are often accelerated in autism. This study is aimed at defining the clinical, morphological, and biochemical correlates of head circumference in autistic patients. METHODS: Fronto-occipital head circumference was measured in 241 nonsyndromic autistic patients, 3 to 16 years old, diagnosed according to DSM-IV criteria. We assessed ...

Although a positive FAST (focused assessment with sonography for trauma) examination in hypotensive blunt trauma patients generally suggests the need for emergent laparotomy, this finding's significance in normotensive trauma patients is unclear. We tested the association between a positive FAST and the need for therapeutic laparotomy in normotensive blunt trauma ...

BACKGROUND: Landmine explosions cause most of the war injuries in the battlefield and pose a substantial public health risk. Although the lower limbs are usually affected, head injuries also occur. The aim of this study is to describe the types of head injuries caused by the explosion of landmines and ...

Body injuries are very serious problems in industrialised countries and they are frequent causes of fatalities in our times. The variety and multiple combinations of body injuries are a challenge for the trauma team. On the basis of clinical and radiological documentation 315 patients with multiple injuries of the locomotor ...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between compensable status in a "no-fault" compensation scheme and long-term outcomes after orthopaedic trauma. DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective cohort study within two adult Level 1 trauma centres in Victoria, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: Blunt trauma patients aged 18-64 years, admitted between September 2003 and August 2004 with ...

We describe here the management of eleven patients with fracture neck of femur. Excepting one patient all had severe haemophilia A. Nine patients were less than 50 years of age. Eight out of eleven patients had fracture after trivial trauma. Nine patients had closed reduction and one patient open reduction. ...

BACKGROUND: Splenic artery arteriography with possible therapeutic embolization (SAE) has been postulated to improve the success rate of nonoperative management of blunt splenic injuries and increase splenic salvage. Previous reports, however, have compared SAE with historical controls. We compared nonoperative success with SAE with a contemporaneous group treated nonoperatively without ...

BACKGROUND: Patients with non-apposed fascial edges, known as laparostomy patients, have traditionally been given intravenous medications, because enteral absorption of medications was thought to be unpredictable. We hypothesized that critically ill patients with "open abdomens" would have bioavailability similar to that of matched patients with closed fascial edges. METHODS: Fluconazole, ...

BACKGROUND: In major trauma patients, multiple organ failure (MOF) is considered a leading cause of death. Acute lung injury is deemed a "pacemaker" of MOF. The purpose of this study was to determine if incidence of organ failure and mortality in multiple trauma patients can be reduced by implementation of ...

BACKGROUND: Resuscitation of traumatic cardiorespiratory arrest patients (TCRA) is generally associated with poor outcome, however some authors report survival rates of more than 10% in blunt trauma patients. The purpose of this investigation was to determine predictive factors for mortality in trauma patients having received external chest compressions (ECC). PATIENTS ...

Background: Haemorrhagic shock is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Trauma and its complications account for one in ten deaths worldwide and are the leading cause of death in those below 45 years of age in developed countries. Survival of the shocked patient is influenced by the speed ...

OBJECTIVE: Acute brain dysfunction or delirium occurs in the majority of mechanically ventilated (MV) medical intensive care unit (ICU) patients and is associated with increased mortality. Unfortunately delirium often goes undiagnosed as health care providers fail to recognize in particular the hypoactive form that is characterized by depressed consciousness without ...

OBJECTIVE: To assess brain injury severity, autonomic dysregulation and systemic infection as risk factors for the occurrence of heterotopic ossification in patients with severe traumatic brain injury. DESIGN: Historic cohort study. SETTING: Radboud University Medical Centre. SUBJECTS: All consecutively admitted patients with severe traumatic brain injury (admission Glasgow Coma Scale ...

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the clinical, US (ultrasound)-Doppler and hematologic findings after proximal splenic artery embolization (PSAE) for blunt injury. METHODS: From August 1998 to February 2003, 37 patients (28 men and 9 women; 20-89 years old, mean 40 years) underwent PSAE for blunt injuries. One patient required secondary splenectomy after ...

BACKGROUND: A higher body mass index (BMI) is associated with hypoxia, hypercarbia, and reduced functional residual capacity. The current study evaluates the association between BMI and the need for mechanical ventilation (MV) among patients who have sustained chest trauma. METHODS: Demographic and clinical outcome data were collected from patients suffering ...

This study analysed the drinking patterns and motivation to change drinking behaviours among injury patients who acknowledged alcohol as a factor in their injuries. A cross-sectional study was conducted over 18 months at a Swedish emergency department. A total of 1930 injury patients aged 18 - 70 years were enrolled ...

Detecting and monitoring blood loss is always a challenging dilemma in emergency settings. The diameter of the inferior vena cava (IVC) in trauma patients may be useful in this way. This has been classically done with computed tomography (CT); however, doing it with ultrasound as a bedside easily available modality ...

OBJECT: The authors evaluated the initial intracranial pressure (ICP) and cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) as prognostic factors in severe head injury in children and tried to determine the optimal CPP range. METHODS: The authors performed a 9-year retrospective review of all patients with severe traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) who required ...

Hypopituitarism is a common complication of TBI in long-term survivors, more frequent than previously realized. It may be partial or complete, sometimes very subtle without visible lesions in hypothalamo-pituitary region and is diagnosed only by biochemical means. Neuroendocrine abnormalities caused by TBI may have significant implications for the recovery and ...

BACKGROUND: Over the last two decades the rate of detection of asymptomatic adrenal masses has increased as a result of the widespread use of abdominal imaging modalities. Incidental pheochromocytoma discovered during the management of an unrelated illness is a rare presentation of these tumors. They can occur in patients treated ...

This study describes the predictors for cold intolerance and the relationship to sensory recovery after median and ulnar nerve injuries. The study population consisted of 107 patients 2 to 10 years after median, ulnar or combined median and ulnar nerve injuries. Patients were asked to fill out the Cold Intolerance ...

Purpose Prospective validation of recently established independent predictors for postinjury abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) was performed. Methodology All trauma patients who met inclusion criteria (ICU admission, ISS > 15, Base Deficit (BD) > 5, or resuscitation with >5 L crystalloids) were prospectively monitored. Patients with isolated head injuries were excluded. ...

Background The epidemiology of post-injury multiple organ failure (MOF) is reported to go through changes during the last 15 years. The purpose of this study is to describe the epidemiology of post-injury MOF in Australia. Methods A 12-month prospective epidemiological study was performed in a Major Trauma Service. Demographics, injury ...

BACKGROUND: Contained contrast extravasation (CE) in solid organ injury is not well correlated with the need for operative intervention, but the significance of CE in patients with pelvic fracture is unknown. METHODS: The trauma registry at a Level I trauma center was queried for all patients with pelvic fracture from ...

BACKGROUND: Acute spontaneous subdural hematomas of arterial origin without any traumatic history or vascular anomaly are rarely reported. Here, we report our series of 6 patients with acute spontaneous subdural hematoma. METHODS: All patients with acute spontaneous subdural hematoma were surgically treated at our hospital between January 1994 and December ...

BACKGROUND: The first link in the 'chain of survival' is the activation of Emergency Medical Services (EMS). In the major part of Denmark, police officers operate the alarm 1-1-2 centre, including calls for EMS. Our aim was to study the police 1-1-2 operators' accuracy in identifying calls concerning patients with ...

Aspergillosis of the central nervous system (CNS) is a rare, but well described disease in immuno-competent patients. We present a 65-year-old patient who developed neuro-aspergillosis 10 months after severe cranio-facial trauma (Le Fort III). He was treated successfully with surgery including stereotactic drainage and, with Amphotericin B, Liposomal Amphotericin B, ...

Three patients with penetrating craniocerebral nail-gun injuries are described. In the first patient the nail was impinging on the internal carotid artery (ICA) in the carotid canal. On removal of the nail, the patient developed a false aneurysm at the site. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case ...

'Talk and die patients' describes a small number of patients who present with a mild head injury (Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] 13-15) and then subsequently deteriorate and die from intracranial causes. We analysed the medical records of all those adult patients whose primary diagnosis as the cause of death was ...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the outcomes of adult (aged > 15 yr) blunt trauma patients with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) = 12 who were transported to a single tertiary trauma centre (TTC) by helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) versus those transported by ground ambulance. ...

We have previously described a high incidence of admission hypokalemia in trauma patients at our institution. We subsequently performed a prospective study of 112 trauma patients to examine the possible etiologies of post-traumatic hypokalemia. Trauma patients >or=5 years old were evaluated within 6 h of injury with a variety of ...