Diagnostic Accuracy of Ultrasound Measurements of Anterior Neck Soft Tissue in Determining a Difficult Airway.

CONTEXT: Airway management in the emergency department is challenging because conventional screening tools cannot be applied. Therefore, a rapid noninvasive means of identifying a difficult airway will be advantageous for emergency physicians. AIMS: The aim of this study is to examine the association between ultrasound measurements of anterior neck soft tissue and difficult airway as judged by the Cormack Lehane grading. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A prospective study was done for 18 months on patients requiring intubation presenting to the emergency medicine department. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Ultrasound measurements of anterior neck soft tissue were obtained in 60 cases at the levels of thyrohyoid membrane, hyoid bone, and vocal cords. Another examiner who was blinded to the ultrasound measurements performed endotracheal intubation and noted Cormack-Lehane grading. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, frequency, and percentage were used. Inferential statistics such as Student's t-test and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis were done using the SPSS software version 22. RESULTS: The thickness of anterior neck soft tissues at the level of hyoid bone in difficult patients was 0.73 cm (95% confidence interval = 0.65-0.80) compared to easy patients 0.47 cm (95% confidence interval = 0.44-0.51) with a P = 0.001 and at the level of thyrohyoid membrane in difficult patients it was 1.83 cm (95% confidence interval = 1.7-1.89) compared to easy patients 1.46 cm (95% confidence interval = 1.41-1.51) with a P = 0.001. Area under the ROC curve was significant at all the three levels with the highest at the level of thyrohyoid membrane 0.99 and least at the level of vocal cords 0.79, the area under the curve was 0.92 at the level of hyoid bone. CONCLUSIONS: Sonographic measurements of the anterior neck soft tissue can be used as a screening tool by an emergency physician to detect difficult intubation.

Comparison of Injury Severity Score, New Injury Severity Score, Revised Trauma Score and Trauma and Injury Severity Score for Mortality Prediction in Elderly Trauma Patients.

OBJECTIVES: This study tests the accuracy of the Injury Severity Score (ISS), New Injury Severity Score (NISS), Revised Trauma Score (RTS) and Trauma and Injury Severity Score (TRISS) in prediction of mortality in cases of geriatric trauma. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective observational study on two hundred elderly trauma patients who were admitted to JSS Hospital, Mysuru over a consecutive period of 18 months between December 2016 to May 2018. On the day of admission, data were collected from each patient to compute the ISS, NISS, RTS, and TRISS. RESULTS: Mean age of patients was 66.35 years. Most common mechanism of injury was road traffic accident (94.0%) with mortality of 17.0%. The predictive accuracies of the ISS, NISS, RTS and the TRISS were compared using receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves for the prediction of mortality. Best cutoff points for predicting mortality in elderly trauma patient using TRISS system was a score of 91.6 (sensitivity 97%, specificity of 88%, area under ROC curve 0.972), similarly cutoff point under the NISS was score of 17(91%, 93%, 0.970); for ISS best cutoff point was at 15(91%, 89%, 0.963) and for RTS it was 7.108(97%,80%,0.947). There were statistical differences among ISS, NISS, RTS and TRISS in terms of area under the ROC curve (p <0.0001). CONCLUSION: TRISS was the strongest predictor of mortality in elderly trauma patients when compared to the ISS, NISS and RTS. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Javali RH, Krishnamoorthy et al. Comparison of Injury Severity Score, New Injury Severity Score, Revised Trauma Score and Trauma and Injury Severity Score for Mortality Prediction in Elderly Trauma Patients. Indian J of Crit Care Med 2019;23(2):73-77.

A Clinical Study on the Initial Assessment of Arterial Lactate and Base Deficit as Predictors of Outcome in Trauma Patients.

BACKGROUND: Trauma is a leading cause of mortality in India. Outcomes can be improved by early recognition of hemorrhagic shock and expedited management. At present, we rely on traditional vital signs, which are not sensitive measures. Point of care biochemical markers have been emerging as prognostic markers in trauma, but have not been studied in Indian setting. AIMS: This study aims to study the association between arterial lactate and base deficit (BD) at emergency department (ED) admission and 24 h outcome in trauma patients at risk of hemodynamic compromise. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a prospective observational study on 100 trauma patients at risk of hemodynamic compromise in tertiary care center ED. Arterial blood gas analysis at admission and 24 h outcomes were noted and statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Arterial lactate ≥4 mmol/L (sensitivity 100% and specificity 85.9%), BD ≥12 mEq/L (sensitivity 87.5% and specificity 82.6%) had more sensitivity than vital signs for predicting 24 h mortality. Higher lactate and BD were associated with increased blood transfusion requirement. Best cutoff values for predicting transfusion were lactate ≥2.9 mmol/L (sensitivity 65.2% and specificity 90.7%), BD ≥8 mEq/L (sensitivity 78.3% and specificity 75.9%). BD-based classification was comparable to ATLS classification in predicting mortality and determining transfusion requirements. Patients with higher arterial lactate and BD were found to have higher 24 h Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission. CONCLUSION: Emergency admission arterial lactate and Base Deficit are useful predictors of mortality, need for blood transfusion and ICU admission at 24 h. It can be used to triage, identify shock early, assess transfusion requirement, and prognosticate trauma patients.