Early surgical stabilization of rib fractures for flail chest is associated with improved patient outcomes: An ACS-TQIP review.

BACKGROUND: Rib fractures are a common in thoracic trauma. Increasingly, patients with flail chest are being treated with surgical stabilization of rib fractures (SSRF). We performed a retrospective review of the Trauma Quality Improvement Program database to determine if there was a difference in outcomes between patients undergoing early SSRF (≤3 days) versus late SSRF (>3 days). METHODS: Patients with flail chest in Trauma Quality Improvement Program were identified by CPT code, assessing those who underwent SSRF between 2017 and 2019. We excluded those younger than 18 years and Abbreviated Injury Scale head severity scores greater than 3. Patients were grouped based on SSRF before and after hospital Day 3. These patients were case matched based on age, Injury Severity Score, Abbreviated Injury Scale head and chest, body mass index, Glasgow Coma Scale, and five modified frailty index. All data were examined using χ2, one-way analysis of variance, and Fisher's exact test within SPSS version 28.0. RESULTS: For 3 years, 20,324 patients were noted to have flail chest, and 3,345 (16.46%) of these patients underwent SSRF. After case matching, 209 patients were found in each group. There were no significant differences between reported major comorbidities. Patients with early SSRF had fewer unplanned intubations (6.2% vs. 12.0%; p = 0.04), fewer median ventilator days (6 days Q1: 3 to Q3: 10.5 vs. 9 Q1: 4.25 to Q3: 14; p = 0.01), shorter intensive care unit length of stay (6 days Q1: 4 to Q3: 11 vs. 11 Q1: 6 to Q3: 17; p < 0.01), and hospital length of stay (15 days Q1: 11.75 to Q3: 22.25 vs. 20 Q1: 15.25 - Q3: 27, p < 0.01. Early plating was associated with lower rates of deep vein thrombosis and ventilator-acquired pneumonia. CONCLUSION: In trauma-accredited centers, patients with flail chest who underwent early SSRF (<3 days) had better outcomes, including fewer unplanned intubations, decreased ventilator days, shorter intensive care unit LOS and HLOS, and fewer DVTs, and ventilator-associated pneumonia. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic/Care Management; Level IV.

Early video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) for non-emergent thoracic trauma remains underutilized in trauma accredited centers despite evidence of improved patient outcomes.

PURPOSE: Thoracic injury is a major contributor to morbidity in trauma patients. There is limited data regarding practice patterns of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) across trauma-accredited hospitals in the United States. We hypothesized that early VATS remains underutilized affecting patient outcomes. METHOD: We evaluated a cohort of patients who underwent non-urgent thoracic surgical intervention for trauma from the ACS-TQIP database in 2017 excluding patients who were discharged within 48-h or died within 72-h. We selected patients who underwent partial lung resection and decortication to assess the effect of early (day 2-5) versus late VATS. Univariate followed by multivariate regression analyses were utilized to evaluate the independent impact of timing. RESULTS: Over 12 months, 997,970 patients were admitted to 850 trauma-accredited centers. Thoracic injury occurred in 23.5% of patients, 1% of whom had non-urgent thoracic procedures. A total of 406 patients underwent VATS for pulmonary decortication with/out partial resection, 39% were Early VATS (N = 159) compared to 61% late VATS (N = 247). Both groups had comparable demographics and comorbidities with exception of a higher ISS score in the late surgical group (17.9 ± 9.8 vs 14.9 ± 7.6, p < 0.01). The late VATS patients' group had higher rates of superficial site infection, unplanned intubation, and pneumonia. Early VATS was associated with shorter ICU stay and HLOS. Multivariate analysis confirmed the independent effect of surgical timing on postoperative complications and LOS. The conversion rate from VATS to thoracotomy was 1.9% in early group compared to 6.5%, p = 0.03. There was no difference in surgical pattern among participating facilities. CONCLUSION: Despite established practice guidelines supporting early VATS for thoracic trauma management, there is underutilization with less than half of patients undergoing early VATS. Early VATS is associated with improved patient outcomes.

Academic Global Surgery Curricula: Current Status and a Call for a More Equitable Approach.

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to search the literature for global surgical curricula, assess if published resources align with existing competency frameworks in global health and surgical education, and determine if there is consensus around a fundamental set of competencies for the developing field of academic global surgery. METHODS: We reviewed SciVerse SCOPUS, PubMed, African Medicus Index, African Journals Online (AJOL), SciELO, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS) and Bioline for manuscripts on global surgery curricula and evaluated the results using existing competency frameworks in global health and surgical education from Consortium of the Universities for Global Health (CUGH) and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) professional competencies. RESULTS: Our search generated 250 publications, of which 18 were eligible: (1) a total of 10 reported existing competency-based curricula that were concurrent with international experiences, (2) two reported existing pre-departure competency-based curricula, (3) six proposed theoretical competency-based curricula for future global surgery education. All, but one, were based in high-income countries (HICs) and focused on the needs of HIC trainees. None met all 17 competencies, none cited the CUGH competency on "Health Equity and Social Justice" and only one mentioned "Social and Environmental Determinants of Health." Only 22% (n = 4) were available as open-access. CONCLUSION: Currently, there is no universally accepted set of competencies on the fundamentals of academic global surgery. Existing literature are predominantly by and for HIC institutions and trainees. Current frameworks are inadequate for this emerging academic field. The field needs competencies with explicit input from LMIC experts to ensure creation of educational resources that are accessible and relevant to trainees from around the world.

Development and Implementation of a Longitudinal Global Acute Care and Systems Strengthening Program.

BACKGROUND: Increasing access to safe, timely, and affordable acute care in low- and middle-income countries is a worldwide priority. Longitudinal curricula on systems of acute care have not been previously described. OBJECTIVES: The authors aimed to develop a novel four-year longitudinal curriculum for medical students addressing systems development across multiple acute care specialties. METHODS: The authors followed Kern's six-step framework for curriculum design. After review of literature, a group of medical students and school of medicine faculty conducted a targeted needs assessment. Foundational goals and objectives were adapted from the 39 interprofessional global health competencies by the Consortium of Universities for Global Health. Educational strategies include didactic sessions, workshops, journal clubs, preceptorships, and community outreach. Clinical years include specialty-specific emphases, guided junior-level discussions, and a capstone project. Yearly SWOT and Kirkpatrick model analyses served as program evaluation. FINDINGS: The Curriculum Council approved the program in July 2019. During the first cycle, the program matriculated 30 students from classes of 2023 (14) and 2022 (16). The first year produced 11 interactive sessions, 6 journal clubs, and 10 seminars led by 31 faculty and guest speakers; 29/30 students completed requirements; 87 evaluations reflected 4.57/5 content satisfaction and 4.73/5 instructor satisfaction. The 2023 cohort reported improved understanding of session objectives (3.13/5 vs. 3.82/5, p = 0.03). Free-text feedback led to implementation of pre-reading standardization and activity outlines. CONCLUSION: The Program was well-received and successfully implemented. It meets the needs of graduating medical students interested in leading global health work. This novel student-faculty collaborative model could be applied at other institutions seeking to provide students with a foundation in global acute care.

The influence of a statewide "Stay-at-Home" order on trauma volume and patterns at a level 1 trauma center in the united states.

The COVID pandemic of 2020 resulted in unprecedented restrictions of public life in most countries around the world, and many hospital systems experienced dramatic decreases in non-COVID related patient admissions. We aimed to compare trauma volumes, patient characteristics, and trauma mechanisms at a large, urban Level 1 trauma center in the United States during a state-wide "State of Emergency" and "stay-at-home" order to corresponding historic dates. All adult trauma activations from March 1 through April 30, 2020 and a historic control from March 1 through April 30, 2018 and 2019 were reviewed in the institution's trauma registry. Trauma volumes, patient characteristics, and trauma mechanisms were compared over time as increasingly stricter COVID-related restrictions were enacted in the Commonwealth of Virginia. After declaration of a state-wide "Public Health Emergency" on March 17, 2020, the daily number of trauma activations significantly declined to a mean of 4.7 (standard deviation, SD = 2.6), a decrease by 43% from a mean of 8.2 (SD = 0.3) for the same dates in 2018 and 2019. Trauma activations during COVID restrictions vs. historic control were characterized by significantly higher prevalence of chronic alcohol use (15.5% vs. 6.8%, p < 0.01), higher median (25th - 75th percentile) Injury Severity Score of 9 (5 - 16) vs. 6 (4 - 14), p = 0.01, and shorter median (25th - 75th percentile) length of hospital stay of 2 (1 - 6) days vs. 3 (1 - 7) days, p = 0.03. The COVID-related Public Health Emergency and "stay-at-home" order in the Commonwealth of Virginia dramatically reduced overall trauma volumes with minor but interesting changes in trauma patterns.

Detecting direct oral anticoagulants in trauma patients using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry: A novel approach to medication reconciliation.

BACKGROUND: Accurate medication reconciliation in trauma patients is essential but difficult. Currently, there is no established clinical method of detecting direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in trauma patients. We hypothesized that a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS)-based assay can be used to accurately detect DOACs in trauma patients upon hospital arrival. METHODS: Plasma samples were collected from 356 patients who provided informed consent including 10 healthy controls, 19 known positive or negative controls, and 327 trauma patients older than 65 years who were evaluated at our large, urban level 1 trauma center. The assay methodology was developed in healthy and known controls to detect apixaban, rivaroxaban, and dabigatran using LCMS and then applied to 327 samples from trauma patients. Standard medication reconciliation processes in the electronic medical record documenting DOAC usage were compared with LCMS results to determine overall accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values (PPV, NPV) of the assay. RESULTS: Of 356 patients, 39 (10.96%) were on DOACs: 21 were on apixaban, 14 on rivaroxaban, and 4 on dabigatran. The overall accuracy of the assay for detecting any DOAC was 98.60%, with a sensitivity of 94.87% and specificity of 99.05% (PPV, 92.50%; NPV, 99.37%). The assay detected apixaban with a sensitivity of 90.48% and specificity of 99.10% (PPV, 86.36%; NPV 99.40%). There were three false-positive results and two false-negative LCMS results for apixaban. Dabigatran and rivaroxaban were detected with 100% sensitivity and specificity. CONCLUSION: This LCMS-based assay was highly accurate in detecting DOACs in trauma patients. Further studies need to confirm the clinical efficacy of this LCMS assay and its value for medication reconciliation in trauma patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Diagnostic Test, level III.

Medications and patient safety in the trauma setting: a systematic review.

Background: Medication errors account for the most common adverse events and a significant cause of mortality in the USA. The Joint Commission has required medication reconciliation since 2006. We aimed to survey the literature and determine the challenges and effectiveness of medication reconciliation in the trauma patient population. Materials and methods: We conducted a systematic review of the literature to determine the effectiveness of medication reconciliation in trauma patients. English language articles were retrieved from PubMed/Medline, CINAHL, and Cochrane Review databases with search terms "trauma OR injury, AND medication reconciliation OR med rec OR med rek, AND effectiveness OR errors OR intervention OR improvements." Results: The search resulted in 82 articles. After screening for relevance and duplicates, the 43 remaining were further reviewed, and only four articles, which presented results on medication reconciliation in 3041 trauma patients, were included. Two were retrospective and two were prospective. Two showed only 4% accuracy at time of admission with 48% of medication reconciliations having at least one medication discrepancy. There were major differences across the studies prohibiting comparative statistical analysis. Conclusions: Trauma medication reconciliation is important because of the potential for adverse outcomes given the emergent nature of the illness. The few articles published at this time on medication reconciliation in trauma suggest poor accuracy. Numerous strategies have been implemented in general medicine to improve its accuracy, but these have not yet been studied in trauma. This topic is an important but unrecognized area of research in this field.

Patient Perspectives on Barriers to Surgical Care and the Impact of Mobile Surgery in Ecuador.

BACKGROUND: An estimated 5 billion people worldwide lack access to timely safe surgical care (Gawande in Lancet 386(9993):523-525, 2015). A mere 6% of all surgical procedures occur in the poorest countries where over a third of the world's population lives (Meara et al. in Surgery 158(1):3-6, 2015). Mobile surgical units like the Cinterandes Foundation endeavor to bring surgical care directly to these communities who otherwise would lack access to safe surgery. This study examines the barriers patients encounter in seeking surgical care in rural communities of Ecuador and their impressions on how mobile surgery addresses such barriers. METHODS: Open interviews were conducted with Cinterandes' patients who had undergone an operation in the mobile surgical unit between 06/25/2013 and 06/25/2014 (n = 101). Interviews were structured to explore two main domains: (1) examining barriers patients have in accessing surgery, (2) assessing patients' opinion of how mobile surgery helped in overcoming such barriers. RESULTS: Patient inconvenience (70%), cost (21%), and lack of trust in local hospitals (24%) were the main cited barriers to surgical access. Increased patient convenience (53%), cheaper surgical care (34%), and trust in Cinterandes (47%) were the main cited benefits to mobile surgery. CONCLUSION: Mobile surgery provided by Cinterandes effectively overcomes many barriers patients encounter when seeking surgical care in rural Ecuador: decreased patient wait times, limited number of referrals to multiple locations, and decreased cost. Partnering with local clinics within the communities and bringing care much closer to patients' homes may provide a better patient friendly health care delivery system for rural Ecuador.

Status of trauma quality improvement programs in the Andean region: What foundation do we have to build on.

INTRODUCTION: Trauma quality improvement (QI) programs have been shown to improve outcomes and decrease cost. These are high priorities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where 2,000,000 deaths due to survivable injuries occur each year. We sought to define areas for improvement in trauma QI programs in four LMICs. METHODS: We conducted a survey among trauma care providers in four Andean middle-income countries: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. RESULTS: 336 physicians, medical students, nurses, administrators and paramedical professionals responded to the cross-sectional survey with a response rate greater than 90% in all included countries except Bolivia, where the response rate was 14%. Eighty-seven percent of respondents reported morbidity and mortality (M&M) conferences occur at their hospital. Conferences were often reported as infrequent - 45% occurred less than every three months and poorly attended - 63% had five or fewer staff physicians present. Only 23% of conferences had standardized selection criteria, most lacked documentation - notes were taken at only 35% of conferences. Importantly, only 13% of participants indicated that discussions were routinely followed-up with any sort of corrective action. Multivariable analysis revealed the presence of standardized case selection criteria (OR 3.48, 95% CI 1.16-10.46), written documentation of the M&M conferences (OR 5.73, 95% CI 1.73-19.06), and a clear plan for follow-up (OR 4.80, 95% CI 1.59-14.50) to be associated with effective M&M conferences. Twenty-two percent of respondents worked at hospitals with a trauma registry. Fifty-two percent worked at institutions where autopsies were conducted, but only 32% of those reported the autopsy results to ever be used to improve hospital practice. CONCLUSIONS: M&M conferences are frequently practiced in the Andean region of Latin America but often lack methodologic rigor and thus effectiveness. Next steps in the maturation of QI programs include optimizing use of data from autopsies and registries, and systematic follow-up of M&M conferences with corrective action to ensure that these activities result in appreciable changes in clinical care.

An Intelligent Ecosystem for Providing Support in Prehospital Trauma Care in Cuenca, Ecuador.

According to facts given by the World Health Organization, one in ten deaths worldwide is due to an external cause of injury. In the field of pre-hospital trauma care, adequate and timely treatment in the golden period can impact the survival of a patient. The aim of this paper is to show the design of a complete ecosystem proposed to support the evaluation and treatment of trauma victims, using standard tools and vocabulary such as OpenEHR, as well as mobile systems and expert systems to support decision-making. Preliminary results of the developed applications are presented, as well as trauma-related data from the city of Cuenca, Ecuador.

International trauma teleconference: evaluating trauma care and facilitating quality improvement.

BACKGROUND: Evaluation, development, and implementation of trauma systems in Latin America are challenging undertakings as no model is currently in place that can be easily replicated throughout the region. The use of teleconferencing has been essential in overcoming other challenges in the medical field and improving medical care. This article describes the use of international videoconferencing in the field of trauma and critical care as a tool to evaluate differences in care based on local resources, as well as facilitating quality improvement and system development in Latin America. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In February 2009, the International Trauma and Critical Care Improvement Project was created and held monthly teleconferences between U.S. trauma surgeons and Latin American general surgeons, emergency physicians, and intensivists. In-depth discussions and prospective evaluations of each case presented were conducted by all participants based on resources available. Care rendered was divided in four stages: (1) pre-hospital setting, (2) emergency room or trauma room, (3) operating room, and (4) subsequent postoperative care. Furthermore, the participating institutions completed an electronic survey of trauma resources based on World Health Organization/International Association for Trauma and Surgical Intensive Care guidelines. RESULTS: During a 17-month period, 15 cases in total were presented from a Level I and a Level II U.S. hospital (n=3) and five Latin American hospitals (n=12). Presentations followed the Advanced Trauma Life Support sequence in all U.S. cases but in only 3 of the 12 Latin American cases. The following deficiencies were observed in cases presented from Latin America: pre-hospital communication was nonexistent in all cases; pre-hospital services were absent in 60% of cases presented; lack of trauma team structure was evident in the emergency departments; during the initial evaluation and resuscitation, the Advanced Trauma Life Support protocol was followed one time and the Clinical Randomization of an Antifibrinolytic in Significant Hemorrhage protocol on two occasions; it was determined that imaging resources were adequately used in half of the cases; the initial care was mostly provided by emergency room physicians; and a surgeon, operating room, and intensive care unit were not readily available 83% of the time. The ease of patient flow was cumbersome because of a lack of a structured system for trauma care except for one academic urban center. Adequate trauma resources are present in less than 50% of the time. Multidisciplinary resources, quality improvement programs, protocols, and guidelines were deficient. CONCLUSIONS: A well-structured international teleconference can be used as a dynamic window of observation to evaluate and identify deficiencies in trauma care in the Latin American region. These findings can be used to formulate specific recommendations based on local resources. Furthermore, by raising local awareness, leaders could be identified to become the executors of more efficient healthcare policies that can potentially affect trauma care.

Surviving a delayed trans-diaphragmatic hepatic rupture complicated by an acute superior vena cava and thoracic compartment syndromes.

We describe the first reported survivor of a delayed trans-diaphragmatic hepatic rupture complicated by acute superior vena cava (SVCS) and thoracic compartment syndromes (TCS). A thirty one year old male was involved in a boating accident. The patient was diagnosed with a grade IV liver laceration, which was initially managed with both angio-embolization and open surgical repair. Exactly one month from admission, the patient presented with an abrupt cardiac arrest, which was further complicated by a SVCS and TCS. The SVCS was managed with bilateral thoracostomies which revealed a delayed trans-diaphragmatic hepatic rupture into the right chest cavity. The TCS was managed with a decompressive thoraco-abdominal incision. The patient survived and is now leading a normal life. Our success was largely due to an integrated trauma system of physicians, nurses and technicians that prompted the early recognition of two potentially life threatening complications of a delayed trans-diaphragmatic hepatic rupture.

Minimally invasive components separation--an updated method for closure of abdominal wall defects.

PURPOSE: We describe a new minimally invasive percutaneous/laparoscopic-assisted technique based on the principles of the original open components separation described by Ramirez et al. METHODS: The technique of minimally invasive components separation (MICS) is described in detail as a stepwise approach. The main advantages of MICS are compared with its traditional open counterpart and previously described endoscopic/laparoscopic modifications. RESULTS: Open components separation is associated with increased wound problems due to extensive dissection. The MICS technique minimizes the need for large myocutaneous flap dissection, which in turn decreases postoperative wound complications. We have successfully corrected abdominal defects as large as 12 cm in diameter (113 cm(2)) with our MICS technique in a high-risk group of patients with minimal morbidity. CONCLUSION: The objectives of abdominal wall reconstruction, which includes restoring structural support, providing stable soft-tissue coverage, and optimizing aesthetic appearance, were all obtained with this newly described MICS technique. We believe that MICS is a safe, practical choice for repair of ventral hernia defects, because it minimizes postoperative morbidity and restores abdominal wall physiology.

Trauma education and care in the jungle of Ecuador, where there is no advanced trauma life support.

BACKGROUND: The advanced trauma life support course is not available or affordable to rural areas in low-income countries. A trauma continuing education course was created to educate physicians of rural hospitals in the jungles of Ecuador. METHODS: A basic trauma care course was designed based on local resources and location of injury, including rudimentary health posts in the jungle, rural hospitals, and definitive referral centers. Course effectiveness was evaluated by a comparison of test scores before and after the course. A multiple choice questionnaire was given. Comparison to previous test scores was also performed. Paired Student's t test was used for statistical analysis. An objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), based on the course design, was administered. RESULTS: Twenty-six rural physicians participated in the course. Mean test scores significantly improved from pretest to post-test (72% to 79%; p = 0.032). Knowledge deficiencies in prehospital care, extremity injury care, and patient evaluation adjuncts significantly improved from 23% to 87%, 23% to 100%, and 31% to 100%, respectively. Test results after the course showed improvements in all major categories tested. Twelve of the 26 participants were repeat test takers from a course provided 2 years earlier. These participants showed improved pretest scores compared with their highest previous test score (76.8% versus 68.5%; p = 0.0496). Compared with first-time test takers, these participants showed improved pretest (76.8% versus 68.4%) as well as post-test (81% versus 76%) scores. Twenty-five of the 26 physicians participated in the OSCE, with a pass rate of 76%. The OSCE identified various strengths and deficiencies based on patient location and available resources. In rudimentary health posts, management was adequate for hemorrhage control (65%), immobilization (77%), and early transfer to rural hospitals (92%). Prehospital communication was inadequate (53%). Rural hospital management was adequate for primary evaluation (60%) and resuscitation (74%) but poor in secondary patient evaluation (53%), adjuncts (25%), and transfer to definitive referral centers (11%). OSCE scores differed from multiple choice questionnaire test results. DISCUSSION: Where there is no advanced trauma life support, a tailored trauma course and evaluation can be effective in educating local providers. A well-designed competency evaluation (multiple choice questionnaire and OSCE) is helpful in identifying deficient local aspects of trauma care. The course design and evaluation methods may serve as a model for continuing trauma care education in developing countries.

Hyperacute abdominal compartment syndrome: an unrecognized complication of massive intraoperative resuscitation for extra-abdominal injuries.

Primary and secondary abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) are well-recognized entities after trauma. The current study describes a "hyperacute" form of secondary ACS (HACS) that develops intraoperatively while repair of extra-abdominal injuries is being carried out simultaneous with massive resuscitation for shock caused by those injuries. The charts of patients requiring abdominal decompression (AD) for HACS at time of extra-abdominal surgery at our level I trauma center were reviewed. The following data was gathered: age, Injury Severity Score (ISS), mechanism, resuscitation details, time to AD, time to abdominal closure, and outcome. All continuous data are presented as mean +/- standard error of mean. Hemodynamic and ventilatory data pre- and post-AD was compared using paired t test with significance set at P < 0.05. Five (0.13%) of 3,750 trauma admissions developed HACS during the 15-month study period ending February 2004. Mean age was 32 +/- 7 years, and mean ISS was 19 +/- 2. Four of five patients arrived in hemorrhagic shock (blunt subclavian artery injury, 1; chest gunshot, 1; gunshot to brachial artery, 1; stab transection of femoral vessels, 1) and were immediately operated upon. One of five patients (70% burn) developed HACS during burn wound excision on day 2. HACS developed after massive crystalloid (15 +/- 1.7 L) and blood (11 +/- 0.4 units) resuscitation during prolonged surgery (4.8 +/- 0.8 hours). Pre- versus post-AD comparisons revealed significant (P < 0.05) improvements in mean arterial pressure (55 +/- 6 vs 88 +/- 3 mm Hg), peak airway pressure (44 +/- 5 vs 31 +/- 2 mm Hg), tidal volume (432 +/- 96 vs 758 +/- 93 mL), arterial pH (7.16 +/- 0.0 vs 7.26 +/- 0.04), and PaCO2 (52 +/- 6 vs 45 +/- 6 mm Hg). There was no mortality among the group, and all patients underwent abdominal closure by fascial reapproximation in 2-5 days. Two (40%) of the five patients required extremity fasciotomy for compartment syndrome. HACS is a rare complication of massive resuscitation for extra-abdominal injuries. It should be considered in such patients in the face of unexplained hemodynamic and/or ventilatory decompensation. Prompt AD is life saving. Early abdominal closure is usually possible. Vigilance for compartment syndromes elsewhere in the body is warranted in any patient with HACS.)

Telemedicine and mobile surgery in extreme conditions: the Ecuadorian experience.

Whenever we perform surgical procedures in modern operating rooms with state of the art technology, or attend patients in the comfort of our office, we should reflect on the fact that millions of people have no access to the most elemental surgical care. At the same time that mankind progresses, the gap between those who can benefit from the advances of science and the underprivileged societies, widens every day. We believe that surgeons have the obligation to strive for excellence in their practice; however, the benefits of their art and science should also extend those unfortunate populations in distant and remote areas. Therefore, efforts to develop means of reaching out to such countries and communities should also be the responsibility of conscientious physicians.