Interpersonal Violence Is Associated With Increased Severity of Geriatric Facial Trauma.

PURPOSE: The geriatric population is rapidly increasing in number with increased demand on health care resources including those spent on the treatment of maxillofacial trauma. The purpose of this analysis was to investigate the independent and cumulative associations between potential risk factors (age, gender, mechanism of injury, drug use, and alcohol use) for and the severity of geriatric facial trauma. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional analysis of secondary data of geriatric (individuals aged ≥65 years) facial trauma using the Allegheny General Hospital Trauma Registry database. Data were collected for diagnosis codes that reflected facial trauma (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes 802.0 to 802.9, 800.1 to 801.9, and 803.0 to 804.9) and specific mechanisms of injury (E810 to E819, motor vehicle traffic accidents; E880 to E888, accidental falls; and E960 to E969, injury purposely inflicted by other persons). The Facial Injury Severity Scale (FISS) is a validated measurement that was used to determine the severity of the facial trauma and calculated through analysis of the abstracted data obtained from the trauma registry and patient records. Pearson correlations, 2-way independent t test, 1-way analysis of variance, and multiple linear regression were used to test hypotheses for independent and cumulative associations between the risk factors for and the severity of geriatric facial trauma. Statistical significance was set at the P < .05 level. RESULTS: The sample was composed of 229 patients with a mean age of 72.3 ± 4.5 years. A statistically significant association between mechanism of injury and the severity of geriatric facial trauma (P = .019) was found. Specifically, interpersonal violence (assault) was associated with the greatest facial trauma severity (FISS score, 4.2) when compared with motor vehicle collisions (FISS score, 2.2; P = .011) and falls (FISS score, 2.4; P = .016). CONCLUSIONS: Interpersonal violence (assault) is associated with increased severity of geriatric facial trauma compared with other risk factors.

Does high body mass index obviate the need for oral contrast in emergency department patients?

INTRODUCTION: High body mass index (BMI) values generally correlate with a large proportion of intra-peritoneal adipose tissue. Because intra-peritoneal infectious and inflammatory conditions manifest with abnormalities of the adipose tissue adjacent to the inflamed organ, it is presumed that with a larger percentage of adipose surrounding a given organ, visualization of the inflammatory changes would be more readily apparent. Do higher BMI values sufficiently enhance the ability of a radiologist to read a computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen and pelvis, so that the need for oral contrast to be given is precluded? METHODS: FORTY SIX PATIENTS WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY: 27 females, and 19 males. They underwent abdominal/pelvic CTs without oral or intravenous contrast in the emergency department. Two board certified radiologists reviewed their CTs, and assessed them for radiographic evidence of intra-abdominal pathology. The patients were then placed into one of four groups based on their body mass index. Kappa analysis was performed on the CT reads for each group to determine whether there was significant inter-rater agreement regarding contrast use for the patient in question. RESULTS: There was increasingly significant agreement between radiologists, regarding contrast use, as the study subject's BMI increased. In addition, there was an advancing tendency of the radiologists to state that there was no need for oral or intravenous contrast in patients with higher BMIs, as the larger quantity of intra-peritoneal adipose allowed greater visualization and inspection of intra-abdominal organs. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of this study, it appears that there is a decreasing need for oral contrast in emergency department patients undergoing abdominal/pelvic CT, as a patient's BMI increases. Specifically, there was statistically significant agreement, between radiologists, regarding contrast use in patients who had a BMI greater than 25.

Emergency department-initiated tobacco dependence treatment.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the feasibility of a fax referral program to increase enrollment in tobacco dependence treatment in emergency department (ED) patients. METHODS: The control group received quit advice and printed information; the intervention group also received a faxed referral that generated telephone contacts. RESULTS: Treatment enrollment was higher in the intervention group (13.5% vs 2.7%). Only the faxed referral was associated with treatment enrollment. CONCLUSIONS: An ED intervention is feasible. Faxed referral resulted in a 5-fold increase in tobacco treatment enrollment. The ED may be an opportune setting to facilitate smoking-cessation behavior change among lower income, underserved patients.