Evaluation of military trauma system practices related to damage-control resuscitation.

BACKGROUND: The Joint Theater Trauma System (JTTS) was developed with the vision that every soldier, marine, sailor, and airman injured on the battlefield would have the optimal chance for survival and maximum potential for functional recovery. In this analysis, we hypothesized that information diffusion through the JTTS, via the dissemination of clinical practice guidelines and process improvements, would be associated with the acceptance of evidence-based practices and decreases in trauma practice variability. METHODS: The current evaluation was designed as a single time-series quasi-experimental study as a preanalysis and postanalysis relative to the implementation of clinical practice guidelines and process improvement interventions. Data captured from patients admitted to hospital-level (Level III) military treatment facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2003 to 2010 were retrospectively analyzed from the Joint Theater Trauma Registry (JTTR) to determine the potential impact of process improvement initiatives on clinical practice. RESULTS: The JTTS clinical practice guidelines for massive transfusion led to increased compliance with balanced component transfusion and decreased practice variability. During the course of the evaluation period, hypothermia on presentation decreased dramatically after the publication of the hypothermia prevention and management clinical practice guideline. CONCLUSION: Developed metrics demonstrate that evidence-based quality improvement initiatives disseminated through the JTTS were associated with improved clinical practice of resuscitation following battlefield injury. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic/care management study, level IV.

Evaluation of military trauma system practices related to complications after injury.

BACKGROUND: The Joint Theater Trauma System (JTTS) was developed with the vision that every soldier, marine, sailor, and airman injured on the battlefield would have the optimal chance for survival and maximum potential for functional recovery. In this analysis, we hypothesized that injury and complication after injury surveillance information diffusion through the JTTS, via the dissemination of clinical practice guidelines and process improvements, would be associated with improved combat casualty clinical outcomes. METHODS: The current analysis was designed to profile different aspects of trauma system performance improvement, including monitoring of frequent posttraumatic complications, the assessment of an emerging complication trend, and measurement of the impact of the system interventions to identify potential practices for future performance improvement. Data captured from the Joint Theater Trauma Registry on patients admitted to military medical treatment facilities as a result of wounds incurred in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2003 to 2010 were retrospectively analyzed to determine the potential impact of complication surveillance and process improvement initiatives on clinical practice. RESULTS: Developed metrics demonstrated that the surveillance capacity and evidence-based quality improvement initiatives disseminated through the JTTS were associated with improved identification and mitigation of complications following battlefield injury. CONCLUSION: The Joint Trauma System enables evidence-based practice across the continuum of military trauma care. Concurrent data collection and performance improvement activities at the local and system level facilitate timely clinical intervention on identified trauma complications and the subsequent measurement of the effectiveness of those interventions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Epidemiologic study, level III.

Executive summary: Guidelines for the prevention of infections associated with combat-related injuries: 2011 update: endorsed by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Surgical Infection Society.

Despite advances in resuscitation and surgical management of combat wounds, infection remains a concerning and potentially preventable complication of combat-related injuries. Interventions currently used to prevent these infections have not been either clearly defined or subjected to rigorous clinical trials. Current infection prevention measures and wound management practices are derived from retrospective review of wartime experiences, from civilian trauma data, and from in vitro and animal data. This update to the guidelines published in 2008 incorporates evidence that has become available since 2007. These guidelines focus on care provided within hours to days of injury, chiefly within the combat zone, to those combat-injured patients with open wounds or burns. New in this update are a consolidation of antimicrobial agent recommendations to a backbone of high-dose cefazolin with or without metronidazole for most postinjury indications and recommendations for redosing of antimicrobial agents, for use of negative pressure wound therapy, and for oxygen supplementation in flight.

Guidelines for the prevention of infections associated with combat-related injuries: 2011 update: endorsed by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Surgical Infection Society.

Despite advances in resuscitation and surgical management of combat wounds, infection remains a concerning and potentially preventable complication of combat-related injuries. Interventions currently used to prevent these infections have not been either clearly defined or subjected to rigorous clinical trials. Current infection prevention measures and wound management practices are derived from retrospective review of wartime experiences, from civilian trauma data, and from in vitro and animal data. This update to the guidelines published in 2008 incorporates evidence that has become available since 2007. These guidelines focus on care provided within hours to days of injury, chiefly within the combat zone, to those combat-injured patients with open wounds or burns. New in this update are a consolidation of antimicrobial agent recommendations to a backbone of high-dose cefazolin with or without metronidazole for most postinjury indications, and recommendations for redosing of antimicrobial agents, for use of negative pressure wound therapy, and for oxygen supplementation in flight.

Utilizing a trauma systems approach to benchmark and improve combat casualty care.

BACKGROUND: Derived from the necessity to improve the outcomes of soldiers injured on the battlefield, the U.S. military forces developed and implemented the Joint Theater Trauma System (JTTS) and the Joint Theater Trauma Registry based on U.S. civilian trauma system models. The purpose of this analysis was to develop battlefield injury outcome benchmark metrics and to evaluate the impact of JTTS-driven performance improvement interventions. METHODS: To quantify these achievements, the Joint Theater Trauma Registry captured mechanistic, physiologic, diagnostic, therapeutic, and outcome data on 18,377 injured patients from January 2004 to May 2008 for analysis. Benchmarks were developed and statistically validated by using control chart methodology. RESULTS: The majority (66.4%) of battlefield wounds were penetrating mechanism, 23.3% of all patients had an Injury Severity Score of > or = 16, 21.8% had a base deficit of > or = 5, 30.5% of patients required blood, and 6.8% required massive transfusion (> or = 10 units red blood cell per 24 hours). In this severely injured population from the battlefield, the JTTS developed several pertinent benchmark metrics to assess quality of care associated with postinjury complications and mortality. The implementation of 27 JTTS-developed evidenced-based clinical practice guidelines and an improved information dissemination process was associated with a decrease in aggregate postinjury complications by 54%. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the numerous challenges of a global trauma system, the JTTS has set the standard for trauma care on the modern battlefield utilizing evidence-based medicine. The development of injury care benchmarks enhanced the evolution of the combat casualty care performance improvement process within the trauma system.

Impact of joint theater trauma system initiatives on battlefield injury outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: The US military forces developed and implemented the Joint Theater Trauma System (JTTS) and Joint Theater Trauma Registry (JTTR) using US civilian trauma system models with the intent of improving outcomes after battlefield injury. METHODS: The purpose of this analysis was to elaborate the impact of the JTTS. To quantify these achievements, the JTTR captured mechanism, acute physiology, diagnostic, therapeutic, and outcome data on 23,250 injured patients admitted to deployed US military treatment facilities from July 2003 through July 2008 for analysis. Comparative analysis to civilian trauma systems was done using the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB). RESULTS: In contrast to civilian trauma systems with an 11.1% rate of penetrating injury, 68.3% of battlefield wounds were by penetrating mechanism. In the analyzed cohort, 23.3% of all patients had an Injury Severe Score (ISS) > or = 16, which is similar to the civilian rate of 22.4%. In the military injury population, 66% of injuries were combat-related. In addition, in the military injury group, 21.8% had metabolic evidence of shock with a base deficit > or = 5, 29.8% of patients required blood transfusion, and 6.4% of the total population of combat casualties required massive transfusion (>10 U red blood cells/24 hours). With this complex and severely injured population of battlefield injuries, the JTTS elements were used to recognize and remedy more than 60 trauma system issues requiring leadership and advocacy, education, research, and alterations in clinical care. Of particular importance to the trauma system was the implementation and tracking of performance improvement indicators and the dissemination of 27 evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (CPGs). In particular, the damage control resuscitation guideline was associated with a decrease in mortality in the massively transfused from 32% pre-CPG to 21% post-CPG. As evidence of the effectiveness of the JTTS, a mortality rate of 5.2% after battlefield hospital admission is comparable to a case fatality rate of 4.3% reported in an age-matched cohort from the NTDB. CONCLUSIONS: JTTS initiatives contributed to improved survival after battlefield injury. The JTTS has set the standard of trauma care for the modern battlefield using contemporary systems-based methodologies.