Tourniquet use in the prehospital setting: Are they being used appropriately?

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate tourniquet use in the Hartford prehospital setting during a 34-month period after the Hartford Consensus was published, which encouraged increasing tourniquet use in light of military research. DESIGN: This was a retrospective review of patients with bleeding from a serious extremity injury to determine appropriateness of tourniquet use or omission. SETTING: Level II trauma center between April 2014 and January 2017. PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-four patients met inclusion criteria and were stratified based on tourniquet use during prehospital care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Five of the 84 patients received a tourniquet. All five of those tourniquets (100 percent of the group, 6.0 percent of the population) were not indicated and deemed inappropriate. Three of the 84 patients did not receive a tourniquet when one was indicated (3.8 percent of the group, 3.6 percent of the population) and these omissions were also deemed inappropriate. Total error rate was 9.5 percent (8/84). RESULTS: There was a significant association between Mangled Extremity Severity Score (MESS) and likelihood of requiring a tourniquet (p = 0.0013) but not between MESS and likelihood of receiving a tourniquet (p = 0.1055). There was also a significant association between wrongly placed tourniquets and the type of providers who placed them [first responders, p = 0.0029; Emergency Medicine Technicians (EMTs), p = 0.0001]. CONCLUSIONS: Tourniquets are being used inappropriately in the Hartford prehospital setting. Misuse is associated with both EMTs and first responders, highlighting the need for better training and more consistent protocols.

Readmissions in Patients with Anticoagulated Intracranial Hemorrhage: A Retrospective Review.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) compared with warfarin on the 30-day readmission rates in patients with traumatic intracranial hemorrhage (ICH). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of patients from our hospital's trauma database admitted between June 2011 and October 2015 to our level II trauma center after sustaining a traumatic ICH while receiving anticoagulant therapy. Patients were stratified based on the anticoagulation drug (DOAC or warfarin) prescribed on admission. The readmission rates between the 2 groups were compared using χ2 analysis and multivariate logistic regression. Patients who died during their initial admission were excluded. RESULTS: Over the 4-year period, 160 patients were admitted with traumatic ICH. Seventy-nine were receiving warfarin and 57 were receiving a DOAC at admission. Data collected included age, sex, injury severity score, admission Glasgow Coma Score, Abbreviated Injury Scale (head), mechanism of injury, hospital and intensive care unit lengths of stay, discharge destination (eg, home, rehabilitation facility, nursing facility), comorbidities, operative interventions, readmissions, and reasons for the readmissions. The rate of readmission for rebleeding of ICH was significantly lower in the DOAC group compared with the warfarin group (5.3% vs. 17.7%; P = 0.04). Multivariate logistic regression suggests that warfarin use, but not DOAC use, is associated with increased readmission both for all causes and for ICH rebleeding. CONCLUSIONS: Warfarin use is associated with higher readmission rates in patients with intracranial bleeding for both all-cause readmissions and for intracranial rebleeding.

Gamified Twitter Microblogging to Support Resident Preparation for the American Board of Surgery In-Service Training Examination.

OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine if a daily gamified microblogging project improves American Board of Surgery In-Service Training Examination (ABSITE) scores for participants. DESIGN: In July 2016, we instituted a gamified microblogging project using Twitter as the platform and modified questions from one of several available question banks. A question of the day was posted at 7-o׳clock each morning, Monday through Friday. Respondents were awarded points for speed, accuracy, and contribution to discussion topics. The moderator challenged respondents by asking additional questions and prompted them to find evidence for their claims to fuel further discussion. Since 4 months into the microblogging program, a survey was administered to all residents. Responses were collected and analyzed. After 6 months of tweeting, residents took the ABSITE examination. We compared participating residents׳ ABSITE percentile rank to those of their nonparticipating peers. We also compared residents׳ percentile rank from 2016 to those in 2017 after their participation in the microblogging project. SETTING: The University of Connecticut general surgery residency is an integrated program that is decentralized across 5 hospitals in the central Connecticut region, including Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, located in Hartford. PARTICIPANTS: We advertised our account to the University of Connecticut general surgery residents. Out of 45 residents, 11 participated in Twitter microblogging (24.4%) and 17 responded to the questionnaire (37.8%). RESULTS: In all, 100% of the residents who were participating in Twitter reported that daily microblogging prompted them to engage in academic reading. Twitter participants significantly increased their ABSITE percentile rank from 2016 to 2017 by an average of 13.7% (±14.1%) while nonparticipants on average decreased their ABSITE percentile rank by 10.0% (±16.6) (p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Microblogging via Twitter with gamification is a feasible strategy to facilitate improving performance on the ABSITE, especially in a geographically distributed residency.

A multidisciplinary approach to improve the quality of care for patients with fragility fractures.

BACKGROUND: Fragility fractures have become a worldwide epidemic associated with significant morbidity and mortality. As the world population ages, the number of patients that experience these fractures is also expected to rise. A multidisciplinary team was assembled that was coordinated by the Acute Inpatient Medical Service and included orthopedic surgeons, geriatricians, anesthesiologists, cardiologists, nurses, trauma surgeons, emergency medicine physicians, physiatrists, and physical therapists. This team was formed with the expectation that geriatric fragility fracture complications, specifically hip fractures, could be reduced by identifying and implementing best practices using guidelines from the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery and those from the International Geriatric Fracture Society. METHODS: We implemented a clinical pathway with a standardized approach with reduction in care variation and followed that by instituting performance improvement measures. The difference in outcome measurements as reported by TQIP for the year prior to implementation and the year following creation of the fragility fracture program was evaluated. RESULTS: Benchmarking data demonstrated improved outcomes for patients with fragility fractures. Length of stay was significantly below national average, mortality remained below national average, and complication rates for UTIs and pressure ulcers were both reduced from 2014 to 2015 and below the national average. CONCLUSION: The clinical pathway we adopted for the care of patients with fragility fractures has resulted in reduced lengths of stay, below average mortality, and improved discharge disposition.

Immediate Tube Feeding after Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy: Early Return to Goal Tube Feeds without Added Complications.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) is frequently performed for delivery of nonoral enteral nutrition (EN) in critically ill patients. Tube-based supplement initiation is often delayed for a variety of reasons despite evidence that EN interruption results in worse outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To determine if early initiation of EN after PEG placement is safe and well-tolerated in critically ill patients and if early initiation of EN results in more goal-accomplished days of EN. DESIGN: A retrospective chart review of patients who underwent PEG and at least 24 hours of EN. Patients were stratified according to time to tube- feed initiation: immediate (< one hour), early (one to four hours), and late (four to 24 hours). RESULTS: 'Ihe three groups were similar with respect to demographics, comorbidities, and 30-day mortality. Sixty-one percent of patients in the immediate group were advanced to the previously-met goal EN rates compared to 24% and 18% in the early and delayed groups, respectively (P < .0001). CONCLUSION: Immediate reinitiation of nonoral EN after PEG procedure is safe and is associated with reaching goal nutrition faster.

Direct oral anticoagulants compared with warfarin in patients with severe blunt trauma.

METHODS: We queried our Trauma Quality Improvement Program registry for patients who presented between 6/1/2011 and 9/1/2015 with severe (injury severity score (ISS)>15) blunt traumatic injury during anticoagulant use. Patients were then grouped into those prescribed warfarin and patients prescribed any of the available novel Direct Oral Anticoagulants (DOAC) medications. We excluded severe (AIS≧4) head injuries. RESULTS: There were no differences between DOAC and warfarin groups in terms of age, gender mean ISS, median hospital or intensive care unit lengths of stay, complication proportions, numbers of complications per patient, or the proportion of patients requiring transfusion. Finally, excluding patients who died, the observed proportion of discharge to skilled nursing facility was similar. In our sample of trauma patients, DOAC use was associated with significantly lower mortality (DOAC group 8.3% vs. warfarin group 29.5%, p<0.015). The ratio of units transfused per patient was also lower in the DOAC group (2.8±1.8 units/patient in the DOAC group vs. 6.7±6.4 units per patient in the warfarin group; p=0.001). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, we report an association with decrease in mortality and a decrease in transfused blood products in severely injured trauma patients with likely minimal or no head injury taking novel DOACs over those anticoagulated with warfarin for outpatient anticoagulation.

Compared to warfarin, direct oral anticoagulants are associated with lower mortality in patients with blunt traumatic intracranial hemorrhage: A TQIP study.

BACKGROUND: Falls represent the leading cause of traumatic brain injury in adults older than 65, with nearly one third experiencing a fall each year. Evidence suggests that up to 0.5% of anticoagulated patients suffer from intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) annually. Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have become an increasingly popular alternative to warfarin for anticoagulation; however, there is a dearth of research regarding the safety of DOACs, in particular on the outcome of traumatic ICH while taking DOACs. METHODS: We queried our Trauma Quality Improvement Project registry for patients who presented with traumatic intracranial hemorrhage during anticoagulant use. Patients were grouped into those prescribed warfarin and patients prescribed DOAC medications. The groups were compared with respect to age, gender, Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) on arrival, Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) (head), Injury Severity Score (ISS), mortality, need for operative intervention, hospital and ICU lengths of stay, proportion of patients transfused (and their transfusion requirements), and rates of discharge to skilled nursing facility. Poisson regression was conducted to determine the relationship between mortality and treatment group while controlling for covariates (comorbidities, ISS). RESULTS: There were no differences between DOAC and warfarin groups in terms of age, gender, median ISS, median AIS head, or median admission GCS. Mechanisms of injury, median hospital and ICU lengths of stay, ICU free days, and transfusion requirements were also not significantly different.DOAC use was associated with significantly lower mortality (4.9% vs. 20.8%; p < 0.008) and a lower rate of operative intervention (8.2% vs. 26.7%; p = 0.023) when compared with warfarin. Excluding patients who died, the observed rate of discharge to skilled nursing facility was lower in the DOAC group (28.8% compared with 39.7%; p = 0.03). Multivariate Poisson regression analysis demonstrated that warfarin use was associated with an increased mortality when controlling for injury severity, and comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS: We report improved mortality and reduced rates of operative intervention in patients with traumatic ICH associated with DOACs compared with a similar group taking warfarin. We also noted an association with decreased rate of discharge to SNF in patients taking DOACs compared with warfarin. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic study, level IV.

Use of a Modified American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program to Enhance 30-Day Post-Trauma Readmission Detection.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic injury remains the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality worldwide, with a large economic burden. One fourth of annual Medicare expenditures result from readmissions, including trauma. The American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program (ACS TQIP) has elevated care for >200 trauma programs worldwide. We use ACS TQIP, which does not include 30-day outcomes featured in the ACS NSQIP, affecting observed readmission rates. STUDY DESIGN: Trauma patients were subjected to the 30-day follow-up with the ACS NSQIP tools to assess readmission rates. The existing standard hospital and trauma registry data review was used to determine readmission, with the same group assessed for readmission using the information collected with the modified TQIP tools. All data collected via this method were patient reported and verified by review of records at our facility and via patient-authorized outside record review. RESULTS: Six hundred and ninety-eight consecutive patients were admitted to the trauma service during the study period and 378 (54.1%) were contacted by telephone for interview. Demographic characteristics were similar (p = NS). The readmission rate changed from 4.01% to 2.4% using the hospital and trauma registry subset (p = NS). Readmission rate by the modified TQIP method was 7.1% (p < 0.03). Readmitted patients did not differ with respect to routine follow-up visits. CONCLUSIONS: We hypothesized that our observed and actual readmission rates differed. We discovered a significant difference in reported rates. Incorporating an NSQIP-like postdischarge feedback process can improve the accuracy of hospitals' readmission data and complication reporting, and thereby improve the value of the information TQIP uses as benchmarks.

Cost Savings Associated with the Adoption of a Cloud Computing Data Transfer System for Trauma Patients.

INTRODUCTION: Among transferred trauma patients, challenges with the transfer of radiographic studies include problems loading or viewing the studies at the receiving hospitals, and problems manipulating, reconstructing, or evalu- ating the transferred images. Cloud-based image transfer systems may address some ofthese problems. METHODS: We reviewed the charts of patients trans- ferred during one year surrounding the adoption of a cloud computing data transfer system. We compared the rates of repeat imaging before (precloud) and af- ter (postcloud) the adoption of the cloud-based data transfer system. RESULTS: During the precloud period, 28 out of 100 patients required 90 repeat studies. With the cloud computing transfer system in place, three out of 134 patients required seven repeat films. CONCLUSION: There was a statistically significant decrease in the proportion of patients requiring repeat films (28% to 2.2%, P < .0001). Based on an annualized volume of 200 trauma patient transfers, the cost savings estimated using three methods of cost analysis, is between $30,272 and $192,453.

Terrorist Event Training in US Medical Schools. A Survey of Chemical, Biologic, Radiologic, Nuclear, and High-Yield Explosives Training in US Medical Schools.

UNLABELLED: September 11, 2001 saw the dawn of the US-led global war on terror, a combined diplomatic, military, social, and cultural war on terrorist activities. Chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosives (CBRNE), as a group of tactics, are often the preferred weapons of terrorists across the globe. We undertook a survey of US medical schools to determine what their self-reported level of training for terrorist events encompasses during the four years of undergraduate medical education. METHODS: We surveyed 170 medical schools in the US and Puerto Rico using a five-question, internet-based survey, followed by telephone calls to curriculum offices for initial nonresponders. We used simple descriptive statistics to analyze the data. RESULTS: A majority of US medical schools that completed the survey (79 schools or 65.3%) have no required lecture or course on CBRNE or terrorist activities during the first or second year (preclinical years). Ninety-eight out of the 121 respondents (81.0%), however, believed that CBRNE training was either very important or somewhat important, as reflected in survey answers. CONCLUSIONS: Most physician educators believe that training in CBRNE is important; however this belief has not resulted in widespread acceptance of a CBRNE curriculum in US medical schools.

The use of simulation procedural training to improve self-efficacy, knowledge, and skill to perform cricothyroidotomy.

The pre-eminent requirement for surgical education is that it is effective and efficient. We sought to determine if the addition of low-fidelity simulation to our standard method of teaching cricothyroidotomy improves Postgraduate Year 1 residents' self-efficacy, knowledge, and skill to perform cricothyroidotomy. The teaching methods were standard education using a lecture and video compared with standard education plus low-fidelity simulation instruction and practice on a mannequin. The methods were randomly assigned. After the assigned teaching in the morning and completion of pre- and posttests of self-efficacy and knowledge, the residents were evaluated on performance of cricothyroidotomy during the afternoon on euthanized swine. Time to complete the procedure and complications were recorded. Nineteen residents participated. Time to complete cricothyroidotomy was significantly less (P = 0.047) and performance scores were significantly higher (P = 0.01) in the simulation group. This group had four (36.4%) complications and the no simulation group had one (12.5%) complication (P = 0.34). Both groups improved on self-efficacy from pre- to posteducation (P < 0.05). Low-fidelity simulation can improve time and skill to perform cricothyroidotomy.

Retrospective review of the use and costs of routine chest x rays in a trauma setting.

INTRODUCTION: Chest x-rays (CXR) are routinely obtained on blunt trauma patients. Many patients also receive additional imaging with thoracic computed tomography scans for other indications. We hypothesized that in hemodynamically normal, awake and alert blunt trauma patients, CXR can be deferred in those who will also receive a TCT with significant cost savings. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the charts of trauma patients from 1/1/2010 to 12/31/2010 who received both a CXR and TCT in the trauma room. Billing and cost data were collected from various hospital sources. RESULTS: 239 patients who met inclusion and exclusion criteria and received CXR and TCT between 1/1/2010 and 12/31/2010. The sensitivity of CXR was 19% (95% CI: 10.8% to 31%) and the specificity was 91.7% (95% CI: 86.7% to 95%). The false positive rate for CXR was 35.8% (95% CI: 21.7% to 52.8%) and the false negative rate was 24.5% (95% CI: 18.8% to 31.2%). The precision of CXR was 42.3% (95% CI: 25.5% to 61.1%) and the overall accuracy was 74.1% (95% CI: 68.1% to 79.2%). If routine chest xray were eliminated in these patients, the estimated cost savings ranged from $14,641 to $142,185, using three different methods of cost analysis. CONCLUSIONS: In patients who are hemodynamically normal and who will be receiving a TCT, deferring a CXR would result in an estimated cost savings up to $142,185. Additionally, TCT is more sensitive and specific than CXR in identifying injuries in patients who have sustained blunt trauma to the thorax.

Management of the most severely injured spleen: a multicenter study of the Research Consortium of New England Centers for Trauma (ReCONECT).

OBJECTIVE: To determine the rate and predictors of failure of nonoperative management (NOM) in grade IV and V blunt splenic injuries (BSI). DESIGN: Retrospective case series. SETTING: Fourteen trauma centers in New England. PATIENTS: A total of 388 adult patients with a grade IV or V BSI who were admitted between January 1, 2001, and August 31, 2008. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Failure of NOM (f-NOM). RESULTS: A total of 164 patients (42%) were operated on immediately. Of the remaining 224 who were offered a trial of NOM, the treatment failed in 85 patients (38%). At the end, 64% of patients required surgery. Multivariate analysis identified 2 independent predictors of f-NOM: grade V BSI and the presence of a brain injury. The likelihood of f-NOM was 32% if no predictor was present, 56% if 1 was present, and 100% if both were present. The mortality of patients for whom NOM failed was almost 7-fold higher than those with successful NOM (4.7% vs 0.7%; P = .07). CONCLUSIONS: Nearly two-thirds of patients with grade IV or V BSI require surgery. A grade V BSI and brain injury predict failure of NOM. This data must be taken into account when generalizations are made about the overall high success rates of NOM, which do not represent severe BSI.

Prehospital HMG Co-A reductase inhibitor use and reduced mortality in ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.

BACKGROUND: The compounds 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-CoA reductase inhibitors (HMG Co-A reductase inhibitors, statins) are popular medications for the control of elevated serum cholesterol. Recent evidence has demonstrated a survival benefit to patients who take statins in the premorbid period with severe sepsis, septic shock, or severe trauma. We hypothesized that a similar benefit would be seen in patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm. STUDY DESIGN: We completed a retrospective review of patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm in our institution from January 2000 to December 2008. We compared age, gender, mortality rates, and Physiologic and Operative Severity Score for the enumeration of Mortality and Morbidity (POSSUM) scores for all patients who met inclusion and exclusion criteria. We compared hospital and ICU lengths of stay, cardiac morbidity, and number of cardiac events per patient between survivor groups with and without prehospital statin use. We compared mortality, cardiac morbidity, and gender using the Pearson chi-square test, Physiologic and Operative Severity Score for the enumeration of Mortality and Morbidity scores and age using the Student's t-test and lengths of stay using the Mann Whitney-U test. RESULTS: Mortality in the group without prehospital statin use was 63.8%, and in the group with prehospital statin use was 34.8% (p=0.018, odds ratio 0.30 to 0.11). Physiologic and Operative Severity Score for the enumeration of Mortality and Morbidity scores were similar between survivor groups with and without statin use and nonsurvivor groups with and without statin use. Hospital and ICU lengths of stay, cardiac morbidity, and number of cardiac events per patient were not statistically different among survivors. CONCLUSIONS: Prehospital statin use appears to be associated with a significant survival benefit in the ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm population.

September 11, 2001, revisited: a review of the data.

HYPOTHESIS: The September 11, 2001, World Trade Center (WTC) attack was a disaster of epic proportion in New York City, NY. It was unprecedented in terms of the number of people who were killed in the bombings, as well as in terms of the volume of patients received at local (New York City) hospitals. The strain on local emergency medical services, hospitals, and the citywide trauma system is still felt today as the hospitals, physicians, and agencies involved struggle to train for similar events that may occur in the future, cope with the psychological and social aftermath, and even pay for the response to the bombing. The objective of this review of the data was to determine the major causes of morbidity (ie, hospital visits) during the hours immediately after the September 11, 2001, WTC attack, as well as to detail the costs involved in the medical response to a disaster of this scale and to identify some lessons learned with respect to the hospital's response to an event of this magnitude. DESIGN: Review of records and cost data submitted by Saint Vincent's Hospital, Manhattan, NY, to the state of New York and federal sources for financial relief from the September 11, 2001, WTC attack. SETTING: Saint Vincent's Hospital is an academic medical center of New York Medical College and a New York City-designated level I trauma center. PATIENTS: All medical records for the patients registered at Saint Vincent's Hospital on September 11, 2001, after 8:50 am were reviewed. RESULTS: The major cause of morbidity for the September 11, 2001, patients was smoke inhalation (30.0%); followed closely by chemical conjunctivitis and corneal abrasions (16%); lacerations, abrasions, and soft-tissue injuries (15.5%); isolated orthopedic complaints (12%); and psychiatric complaints (10%). Multiple-trauma patients were 3% of the patients seen. There were 5 fatalities at Saint Vincent's Hospital. CONCLUSIONS: The WTC disaster was a source of major morbidity and mortality to the people of New York City. The possibility that Saint Vincent's will again serve in that role is in the forefront of the minds of everyone involved in updating our contingency plan.