(RSS) Trauma Research Blog
Selected new & juicy research papers, with editorial comment.
- Karim Brohi
- trauma.org; London
Trauma Research Blog
Selected new & juicy research papers, with editorial comment.
Authors:
- Karim Brohi
- trauma.org; London
Recent Posts:
PubMed ID: 20068485
J Trauma. 2010 Jan 9. [Epub ahead of print]
Authors: Glance LG, Osler TM, Dick AW, Mukamel DB, Meredith W.
Abstract:
BACKGROUND:: This report describes a project funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to evaluate the impact of providing hospitals with nonpublic report cards on trauma outcomes. The Survival Measurement and Reporting Trial for Trauma explores the feasibility of using the National Trauma Data Bank as a platform for measuring and improving trauma outcomes. METHODS:: We identified a cohort of 125 hospitals in the National Trauma Data Bank with annual hospital volumes of 250 or more trauma cases meeting specific minimum criteria for data quality. The performance of hospitals in this cohort was evaluated using hierarchical logistic regression model. The effect of each hospital on trauma mortality was captured by a shrinkage coefficient, which is exponentiated to yield an adjusted odds ratio. This adjusted odds ratio represents the likelihood that a trauma patient treated at a specific hospital is more or less likely to die compared with a patient treated at an "average" hospital. RESULTS:: The initial hospital cohort includes 125 hospitals and 157,045 patients admitted in 2006. Most hospitals are either level I (36%) or level II (34%) trauma centers. Patients admitted to the worst-performing hospitals were at least 50% more likely to die than patients admitted to the average hospital, after adjusting for injury severity. CONCLUSION: The initial findings of this trial suggest that there is significant variability in trauma mortality across centers caring for injured patients after adjusting for differences in patient casemix. This variation in risk-adjusted mortality presents an opportunity for improvement. The Survival Measurement and Reporting Trial for Trauma study is designed to test the hypothesis that nonpublic report cards can lead to improved population mortality for injured patients. The results of this study may have substantial implications in the future design and implementation of a national effort to report and improve trauma outcomes in the United States.Notes & Commentary:
This wide variability in outcomes at different hospitals is mirrored by other studies of injury care at individual institutions. The Trauma Audit & Research Network iregularly collates this data for hospitals in England & Wales:
(Source)
What is more concerning is that, unlike the UK figures, the hospitals in this study are mainly trauma centres and therefore should be meeting designated performance standards in order to maintain their trauma centre status. It'd be interesting to see if there is similar variability between hospitals accredited under American College of Surgeons criteria for designation, rather than state or local criteria.
There are problems with this form of modelling. Hospital's whose case mix varies from the national average may have skewed results (positively or negatively). Additionally the relationship between statistical modelling of unexpected deaths or survivors has not yet been validated against assessment of the quality of clinical care.
Interesting also is that these are non-reported data. TARN data is available to the general public, so you can see how your local hospital performs compared to the national average. Here's part of our page from the Royal London Hospital.
There's nothing like public opinion to make hospitals up their game.
PubMed ID: 19680160
J Trauma. 2009 Aug 12.
Authors: Teixeira PG, Inaba K, Oncel D, Dubose J, Chan L, Rhee P, Salim A, Browder T, Brown C, Demetriades D.
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE:: Because of its rarity and high rate of mortality, traumatic blunt cardiac rupture (BCR) has been poorly studied. The objective of this study was to use the National Trauma Data Bank to review the epidemiology and outcomes associated with traumatic BCR. METHODS:: After approved by the institutional review board, the National Trauma Data Bank (version 5.0) was queried for all BCR occurring between 2000 and 2005. Demographics, clinical injury data, interventions, and outcomes were abstracted for each patient. Statistical analysis was performed using an unpaired Student's t test or Mann-Whitney U test to compare means and chi analysis to compare proportions. Stepwise logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of inhospital mortality. RESULTS:: Of 811,531 blunt trauma patients, 366 (0.045%) had a BCR of which 334 were available for analysis, with the mean age of 45 years, 65% were men, and their mean Injury Severity Score was 58 +/- 19. The most common mechanism of injury was motor vehicle collision (73%), followed by pedestrian struck by auto (16%), and falls from height (8%). Twenty-one patients (6%) died on arrival and 140 (42%) died in the emergency room. The overall mortality for patients arriving alive to hospital was 89%. Of the patients surviving to operation, 42% survived >24 hours of which 87% were discharged. Survivors were significantly younger (39 vs. 46 years, p = 0.04), had a lower Injury Severity Score (47 vs. 56, p = 0.02), higher Glasgow Coma Scale (10 vs. 6, p < 0.001), and were more likely to present with an systolic blood pressure >/=90 mm Hg (p = 0.01). Nevertheless, none of these factors was found to be an independent risk factor for mortality. CONCLUSION:: BCR is an exceedingly rare injury, occurring in 1 of 2400 blunt trauma patients. In patients arriving alive to hospital, traumatic BCR is associated with a high mortality rate, however, is not uniformly fatal.Notes & Commentary:
Coming shortly after our description of the patient with cardiac herniation following blunt trauma is this review of the National Trauma DataBank from the LA County group. Of course this is the tip of the iceberg as most patients will die at scene, but there's a surprisingly low (42%) mortality in the emergency department, suggesting that a significant proportion of these patients should be salvageable if identified early and managed appropriately.
PubMed ID: 19627869
PM R. 2009 Jan;1(1):23-8
Authors: Sayer NA, Cifu DX, McNamee S, Chiros CE, Sigford BJ, Scott S, Lew HL.
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: To describe the rehabilitation course of combat-injured service members who sustained polytraumatic injuries during the current wars in and around Iraq and Afghanistan. DESIGN: Retrospective descriptive analysis. SETTING: Department of Veterans Administration Polytrauma Rehabilitation Centers (PRCs). PARTICIPANTS: One hundred eighty-eight consecutive, acutely combat-injured service members suffering polytraumatic injuries requiring inpatient rehabilitation and being treated at PRCs between October 2001 and January 2006. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Medications prescribed, devices used, injuries and impairment information, and consultative services. RESULTS: Ninety-three percent of the patients had sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI) and more than half of these were incurred secondary to blast explosions. Over half of the patients had infections or surgeries prior to PRC admission that required continued medical attention during their stay. Pain and mental health issues were present in 100% and 39%, respectively, of all patients admitted and added complexity to the brain injury rehabilitation process. Common treatment needs included cognitive-behavioral interventions, pain care, assistive devices, mental health interventions for both patients and their families, and specialty consultations, in particular to ophthalmology, otolaryngology, and neurology. CONCLUSIONS: Combat-injured polytrauma patients have complex rehabilitation needs that require a high level of specialized training and skill. Physical medicine and rehabilitation specialists treating war injured service members need a high level of expertise in assessment and treatment of co-occurring pain, TBI, and stress disorders. Physiatrists are playing an important role in providing and coordinating the rehabilitation care for individuals with significant polytraumatic war injuries from the Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) conflicts.Notes & Commentary:
PubMed ID: 19627946
PM R. 2009 Jun;1(6):560-75
Authors: Devine JM, Zafonte RD.
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: Physical exercise has been shown to play an ever-broadening role in the maintenance of overall health and has been implicated in the preservation of cognitive function in both healthy elderly and demented populations. Animal and human studies of acquired brain injury (ABI) from trauma or vascular causes also suggest a possible role for physical exercise in enhancing cognitive recovery. DATA SOURCES: A review of the literature was conducted to explore the current understanding of how physical exercise impacts the molecular, functional, and neuroanatomic status of both intact and brain-injured animals and humans. STUDY SELECTION: Searches of the MEDLINE, CINHAL, and PsychInfo databases yielded an extensive collection of animal studies of physical exercise in ABI. Animal studies strongly tie physical exercise to the upregulation of multiple neural growth factor pathways in brain-injured animals, resulting in both hippocampal neurogenesis and functional improvements in memory. DATA EXTRACTION: A search of the same databases for publications involving physical exercise in human subjects with ABI yielded 24 prospective and retrospective studies. DATA SYNTHESIS: Four of these evaluated cognitive outcomes in persons with ABI who were involved in physical exercise. Three studies cited a positive association between exercise and improvements in cognitive function, whereas one observed no effect. Human exercise interventions varied greatly in duration, intensity, and level of subject supervision, and tools for assessing neurocognitive changes were inconsistent. CONCLUSIONS: There is strong evidence in animal ABI models that physical exercise facilitates neurocognitive recovery. Physical exercise interventions are safe in the subacute and rehabilitative phases of recovery for humans with ABI. In light of strong evidence of positive effects in animal studies, more controlled, prospective human interventions are warranted to better explore the neurocognitive effects of physical exercise on persons with ABI.Notes & Commentary:
PubMed ID: 19628092
Surgery. 2009 Aug;146(2):325-33.
Authors: Alam HB, Shuja F, Butt MU, Duggan M, Li Y, Zacharias N, Fukudome EY, Liu B, Demoya M, Velmahos GC.
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: We have demonstrated previously that valproic acid (VPA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor, can improve survival in lethal models of hemorrhagic shock. This study investigated whether VPA treatment would improve survival in a clinically relevant large animal model of poly-trauma/hemorrhagic shock, and whether the protective effects are executed through the Akt survival pathway. METHODS: Yorkshire swine were subjected to a poly-trauma protocol including: (1) Pre-hospital phase- Femur fracture, 60% hemorrhage, 30 min of shock (mean arterial pressure [MAP]: 25-30 mmHg), and infusion of 154mM NaCl (3 x shed blood); (2) Early hospital phase A Grade V liver injury (simulating rupture of a previously contained hematoma) followed by liver packing; (3) Treatment/monitoring phase randomization to 3 treatment groups (n = 6-8/group): no treatment (control), fresh whole blood (FWB), and intravenous VPA (400 mg/kg, given during the pre-hospital phase). Animals were monitored for 4 h, with survival being the primary endpoint. Liver tissue was subjected to Western blot analysis. RESULTS: FWB (n = 6) and VPA treatments (n = 7) significantly increased survival (100% and 86%, respectively) compared to control group (n = 8) (25%). The protocol produced significant anemia (Hb<6 g/dL) and lactic acidosis (lactate 3-5 mmol/L). Acidosis improved after blood transfusion and worsened in the other two groups. VPA treatment increased phospho-Akt (activated), phospho-GSK-3beta (Glycogen synthase kinase 3beta), beta-catenin and Bcl-2 (B-cell leukemia/lymphoma 2) protein levels compared to control group (P = .01, .01, .03, and .02, respectively). There was no significant difference in the level of these proteins between the control and FWB groups. CONCLUSION: Treatment with VPA without blood transfusion improves early survival in a highly lethal poly-trauma and hemorrhagic shock model. The survival advantage is due not to improvement in resuscitation but to better tolerance of shock by the cells, in part due to the preservation of the Akt survival pathway.Notes & Commentary:
Sodium valproate protects cells from ischaemic damage in this haemorrhagic shock model. There are a number of potential therapeutics options for both ischaemia protection and ischaemia rescue ready for translational trials now.
PubMed ID: 19630126
Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2009 May;88(5):387-98.
Authors: Sirois MJ, Dionne CE, Lavoie A.
Abstract:
OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to compare regional differences in perceived needs for postacute rehabilitation services, perceived barriers to postacute rehabilitation services, and long-term functional and physical health outcomes among multiple trauma survivors. DESIGN: A population-based cohort study with retrospective measures of exposure and cross-sectional health outcomes measures was conducted in regions with different levels of rehabilitation services availability in the province of Quebec, Canada. The study included 435 participants, aged 18-65 yrs, admitted to level I or level II trauma centers in 2000-2001, who required rehabilitation services. The participants were interviewed by telephone 2-4 yrs postinjury. Needs for (yes/no) and perceived barriers (yes/no) to obtain 18 posttraumatic rehabilitation services were assessed. Physical health was measured with the medical outcome study SF-12 and functional status with the functional independence measure. RESULTS: There were no significant regional differences in the proportions of perceived barriers to functional rehabilitation (39.4%), to social/vocational rehabilitation (52.2%), and to community integration services (46.5%). Adjusted-SF-12 and functional independence measure scores were similar across regions. CONCLUSION: Contrary to expectations, there were no regional differences in perceived barriers to rehabilitation services for multiple trauma survivors. Rather, surprisingly high proportions of barriers were reported across the province.Notes & Commentary:
Interesting - given Quebec 's a relatively mature and comprehensive trauma system. Perhaps locals can comment on the perception of high barriers to rehab access across the province?
PubMed ID: 7935634
N Engl J Med. 1994 Oct 27;331(17):1105-9
Authors: Bickell WH, Wall MJ Jr, Pepe PE, Martin RR, Ginger VF, Allen MK, Mattox KL
Abstract:
BACKGROUND. Fluid resuscitation may be detrimental when given before bleeding is controlled in patients with trauma. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of delaying fluid resuscitation until the time of operative intervention in hypotensive patients with penetrating injuries to the torso. METHODS. We conducted a prospective trial comparing immediate and delayed fluid resuscitation in 598 adults with penetrating torso injuries who presented with a pre-hospital systolic blood pressure of < or = 90 mm Hg. The study setting was a city with a single centralized system of pre-hospital emergency care and a single receiving facility for patients with major trauma. Patients assigned to the immediate-resuscitation group received standard fluid resuscitation before they reached the hospital and in the trauma center, and those assigned to the delayed-resuscitation group received intravenous cannulation but no fluid resuscitation until they reached the operating room. RESULTS. Among the 289 patients who received delayed fluid resuscitation, 203 (70 percent) survived and were discharged from the hospital, as compared with 193 of the 309 patients (62 percent) who received immediate fluid resuscitation (P = 0.04). The mean estimated intraoperative blood loss was similar in the two groups. Among the 238 patients in the delayed-resuscitation group who survived to the postoperative period, 55 (23 percent) had one or more complications (adult respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis syndrome, acute renal failure, coagulopathy, wound infection, and pneumonia), as compared with 69 of the 227 patients (30 percent) in the immediate-resuscitation group (P = 0.08). The duration of hospitalization was shorter in the delayed-resuscitation group. CONCLUSIONS. For hypotensive patients with penetrating torso injuries, delay of aggressive fluid resuscitation until operative intervention improves the outcome.Notes & Commentary:
Spent a surprisingly enjoyable journal club discussing this paper today. It was in the running for most important trauma paper of all time at one point. It's certainly perhaps the trauma paper that has generated the most controversy. The study's been criticised on many fronts but it's often overlooked how extraordinarily difficult it is to conduct a study like this. It marked the beginning of a sea-change in the way patients were resuscitated. The whole paper needs to be read and digested to fully appreciate the implications of the results.
PubMed ID: 19479650
Ultrastruct Pathol. 2009;33(3):102-11
Authors: Castejon OJ
Abstract:
In a vascular anomaly showing moderate edema, the extracellular space appeared apparently normal, exhibiting a membrane to membrane space of about 20 nm in width. In congenital hydrocephalus, this space appeared notably enlarged and occupied by an electron transparent, nonproteinaceous interstitial edema fluid, due to abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid. In brain trauma, the distended extracellular space contained either electron-lucid nonproteinaceous or electron-dense proteinaceous edema fluid. Hemorrhagic foci, fibrinoid material, and non-nervous invading cells, such as macrophages and monocytes, were also found. In brain tumors, the widened extracellular space showed electron-dense proteinaceous edema fluid and bundles of fibrinoid material. The enlarged extracellular space found in congenital hydrocephalus, vascular anomalies, brain trauma, and tumors is closely related to the clinical symptoms exhibited by the patients under study.Notes & Commentary:
How simplistic our clinical view of traumatic brain injury is. We think only of intracranial pressure, perfusion pressure, and cerebral oxygen delivery & utilization. We understand cerebral oedema only as a hydrostatic effect to be treated with osmotic therapy. This study shows that cerebral oedema in traumatic brain injury is far from a simple fluid shift but is instead a complex phenomenon, probably containing a complex of proinflammatory and coagulant mediators of the innate immune system. We need to rapidly develop a more complex approach to our clinical understanding of these injuries if we are to make any progress in their management - progress which has been relatively disappointing over the past few decades.
PubMed ID: 19204518
J Trauma. 2009 Feb;66(2):429-35
Authors: Fang JF, Shih LY, Wong YC, Lin BC, Hsu YP
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Most arterial hemorrhage associated with pelvic fracture can be adequately controlled by a single transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE). However, there is a small group of patients who remain hemodynamically unstable after TAE, have no other identifiable source of bleeding, and who benefit from repeat TAE of the pelvis. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of patients with hemorrhage from pelvic fractures between January 2001 and June 2006. Clinical parameters and results were compared between patients requiring more than one pelvic TAE and those undergoing a single TAE. Risk factors for repeat TAE were identified by univariate and stepwise logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: During the study period, 174 of 964 patients with pelvic fracture received pelvic angiography for suspected arterial hemorrhage. One hundred forty TAEs were performed. Thirty-four (24.3%) patients underwent more than one angiography for suspected recurrent arterial hemorrhage, and 26 (18.6%) underwent repeat TAE. Repeat angiography was performed 3 to 58 hours (mean, 21 hours) after initial TAE. Patients with repeat TAE had significantly more blood transfusions, higher mortality rate, and longer intensive care unit stay. Independent predictors for repeat TAE included initial hemoglobin level lower than 7.5 g/dL (OR, 6.22), superselective arterial embolization in initial TAE (OR, 3.22), and more than 6 units of blood transfusion after initial TAE (OR, 3.22). CONCLUSION: Careful monitoring and prompt recognition of patients requiring repeat TAE is paramount. The arterial access sheath should remain in place for up to 72 hours after angiography. Initial hemoglobin level lower than 7.5 g/dL and more than 6 units of blood transfusion after initial angiography are predictors for repeat TAE. Superselective TAE is associated with a significantly higher risk of recurrent hemorrhage, and its use should be limited.Notes & Commentary:
This paper and several others have discussed the incidence of subsequent haemorrhage following embolisation for pelvic haemorrhage. While there is certainly the potential for rebleeding, certainly our rates are much lower than this (in fact I don't remember one in the last few years). One possible explanation for this discrepancy is that we have had to re-learn how to read an angiogram for arterial distruption in the presence of haemorrhagic shock. A contrast blush is rarely seen in these patients - blood pressure is low with permissive hypotension regimens and they are maximally vasoconstricted. If vessels are not embolized because no blush is seen, when blood pressure is restored active haemorrhage will again ensue. CT seems a lot better at picking up this contrast extravasation that angio - probably because of the delayed phase of the CT scan. However of course CT is often bypassed in the exsanguinating patient.
Here's a patient with a left vertical shear fracture of the pelvis. This is the initial left common iliac angiogram. There's no blush or otherwise abnormal appearance.
However it's only when you look closely at the image that you can see that there is disruption in the superior gluteal artery territory. On this close-up you can see severe 'pruning' of the vessels rather than the usual branching tree pattern.
Similarly if a patient is very haemodynamically unstable and has a unstable pelvic fracture, with no other obvious source for haemorrhage (abdomen, chest etc), we will gelfoam embolise both divisions of the internal iliac artery on that side (or sometimes bilaterally), even if no blush is seen. We call this Damage Control Angioembolization, maybe others do too.
PubMed ID: 6623052
Sci Am. 1983 Aug;249(2):28-35.
Authors: Trunkey DD
Abstract:
Accidental and intentional injuries account for more years of life lost in the U.S. than cancer and heart disease. Among the prescribed remedies are improved preventive efforts, speedier surgery and further research.Notes & Commentary:
Is this the most important trauma paper ever written? This is Donald Trunkey's review of trauma epidemiology in the United States, publushed in Scientific American in 1983. The core of the article relates in part to his paper with Baker published in 1980 describing the trimodal distribution of trauma deaths [PMID:7396078].
Why have I chosen it as the most important of all trauma papers? This was the paper the first described trauma as a disease. It brought together centuries of knowledge about wounds and their management into a paper that demonstrated that, if considered together, all these injuries can be described as a single disease entity, with its own epidemiology, pathophysiology, management and prognosis. Once trauma was recognised as a disease, it would join cardiovascular disease and infectious diseases as some of the world's biggest killers. Importantly - this is Scientific American - a popular science magazine with a huge audience. This is the article that brought trauma to the masses.
So its my vote for all-time most important trauma paper, and a fitting start to our new research blog. A global trauma journal club if you like. What's your most important trauma paper of all time? Leave a comment below.
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