Epidemiology of patients assessed for trauma by Swedish ambulance services: a retrospective registry study.

BACKGROUND: There is a lack of knowledge regarding the epidemiology of severe trauma assessed by Swedish emergency medical services (EMS). AIM: To investigate the prevalence of trauma in Sweden assessed by EMS from a national perspective and describe patient demography, aetiology, trauma type, prehospital triage and clinical outcomes. METHODS: Data from two national quality registries, the Swedish Ambulance Registry and the Swedish Trauma Registry (SweTrau) were collected from January 1 to December 31, 2019. Inclusion criteria were an Emergency Symptoms and Signs code equivalent to trauma in the Swedish Ambulance Registry and criteria fulfilled for SweTrau inclusion. Exclusion criteria were patients < 18 years old, those not transported to a hospital and those without a personal identification number. RESULTS: In total, 53,120 patients with trauma were included (14% of primary EMS missions involving a personal identification number). Of those, 2,278 (4.3%) patients (median age: 45 years; 32% women) were reported in SweTrau to have severe or potentially severe trauma (penetrating: 7%, blunt: 93%). In terms of including all causes of trauma, the code for 'trauma alert activation' was most frequent (55%). The most frequent injury mechanism was an injury caused by a car (34%). Most (89%) cases were assigned Priority 1 (life-threatening condition) at the dispatch centre. 62% were regarded as potentially life threatening upon EMS arrival, whereas 29% were assessed as non-life-threatening. Overall, 25% of the patients had new injury severity scores > 15. 12% required invasive treatment, 11% were discharged with severe disability and the 30-day mortality rate was 3.6%. CONCLUSION: In this cross-sectional study, 14% of the primary EMS missions for one year were caused by trauma. However, only a small proportion of these cases are severe injuries, and the risk of severe disabilities and death appears to be limited. The most frequent aetiology of a severe trauma is injury caused by a car, and most severe traumas are blunt. Severe traumas are given the highest priority at the dispatch centre in the vast majority of cases, but nearly one-third of these cases are considered a low priority by the EMS nurse. The latter leaves room for improvement.

Risk-adjusted mortality in severely injured adult trauma patients in Sweden.

BACKGROUND: Risk-adjusted mortality (RAM) analysis and comparisons of clinically relevant subsets of trauma patients allow hospitals to assess performance in different processes of care. The aim of the study was to develop a RAM model and compare RAM ratio (RAMR) in subsets of severely injured adult patients treated in university hospitals (UHs) and emergency hospitals (EHs) in Sweden. METHODS: This was a retrospective study of the Swedish trauma registry data (2013 to 2017) comparing RAMR in patients (aged 15 years or older and New Injury Severity Score (NISS) of more than 15) in the total population (TP) and in multisystem blunt (MB), truncal penetrating (PEN), and severe traumatic brain injury (STBI) subsets treated in UHs and EHs. The RAM model included the variables age, NISS, ASA Physical Status Classification System Score, and physiology on arrival. RESULTS: In total, 6690 patients were included in the study (4485 from UHs and 2205 from EHs). The logistic regression model showed a good fit. RAMR was 4.0, 3.8, 7.4, and 8.5 percentage points lower in UH versus EH for TP (P < 0.001), MB (P < 0.001), PEN (P = 0.096), and STBI (P = 0.005), respectively. The TP and MB subsets were subgrouped in with (+) and without (-) traumatic brain injury (TBI). RAMR was 7.5 and 7.0, respectively, percentage points lower in UHs than in EHs in TP + TBI and MB + TBI (both P < 0.001). In the TP-TBI (P = 0.027) and MB-TBI (P = 0.107) subsets the RAMR was 1.6 and 1.8 percentage points lower, respectively. CONCLUSION: The lower RAMR in UHs versus EH were due to differences in TBI-related mortality. No evidence supported that Swedish EHs provide inferior quality of care for trauma patients without TBI or for patients with penetrating injuries.

Long-term follow-up of patients treated for traumatic injury regarding physical and psychological function and health-related quality of life.

PURPOSE: Trauma patients often suffer for long time after their injury with physical and psychological problems. Patient-reported outcome measurements (PROM) help us to understand outcomes beyond mortality. The aim of the study was to describe a sample of Swedish trauma patients, regarding their physical function, psychological morbidity, and quality of life after trauma. METHODS: The study population was sourced from the Swedish Trauma Register: taking 1 month of data from five hospitals, over three consecutive years. 218 patients met the inclusion criteria, 147 data sets were used. Inclusion criteria included: age ≥ 18; New Injury Severity Scale (NISS) ≥ 9; and discharged alive. Data were collected at 3, 6, and 12 months after the trauma. EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D), Posttraumatic Symptom Scale-10 (PTSS-10) questionnaires and Glasgow Outcome Score (GOS) instrument were used with additional questions about pain and return to work. RESULTS: 12 months after the trauma: full functional recovery (GOS 5) was seen in 68% of the patients; 59% reported difficult or moderate pain or discomfort; and 44.5% of the patients had returned to work. In EQ-5D mobility dimension, no recovery was evident between 6 and 12 months. Twenty percent of the patients had significant symptoms for PTSD after 6 months and 16% after 3 months and 12 months. CONCLUSION: Trauma patients had decreased physical function and psychological morbidity up to 1 year after the initial injury. Incorporating PROM in the follow-up after trauma is important to understand the patient's perspective of care and treatment.

Eight-year outcome after invasive treatment of infrainguinal intermittent claudication: A population-based analysis from the Swedish vascular register (Swedvasc).

OBJECTIVES: Invasive treatment of infrainguinal intermittent claudication is controversial, and long-term outcomes are scarce. The study aim was to evaluate 8 years results regarding new vascular interventions on index and contralateral limb, hospitalization, mortality, and amputation in 775 patients revascularized for infrainguinal intermittent claudication in 2009. METHODS: Data on new vascular interventions retrieved from the Swedish vascular register (Swedvasc) were linked to the Inpatient Register and Cause of Death Register with information on hospitalizations, primary discharge diagnoses according to the 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10), deaths, causes of death, and amputations. RESULTS: During 8 years of follow-up, 486 new vascular interventions were performed. Patients were admitted for a total of 4662 hospitalizations and spent 25,970 days in hospital. Between 79% and 99% of surviving subjects were hospitalized each year. During follow-up, 311 (40.1%) patients died. The most common causes of hospitalization and death were cerebrovascular disease, ischemic heart disease, or other diseases of the circulatory system, causing 47.5% of hospitalizations and 42.4% of deaths. Seventy-seven major lower limb amputations were performed in 52 patients. CONCLUSION: As patients undergoing invasive treatment of infrainguinal intermittent claudication have high morbidity and mortality, during 8 years of follow-up, the indication for invasive treatment should be carefully weighed against concomitant comorbidities and the timing of this treatment optimized with regard to the patient's possibilities to enjoy positive treatment effects on quality of life.

Treatment choice and survival after ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm: A population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to clarify whether the findings of the randomized studies of repair method (open aortic repair [OAR] vs endovascular aneurysm repair [EVAR]) concerning short-term and midterm survival for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (RAAAs) could be confirmed in a contemporary, nationwide, and unselected population. METHODS: This cohort study is based on prospectively collected data from Swedvasc, a nationwide vascular registry, including all 29 hospitals performing surgery for RAAA in Sweden (3 district, 19 county, and 7 university hospitals) during 2013 to 2015. All 702 patients operated on for RAAA during this time were included. Open surgery and endovascular repair, analyzed on the basis of individual patient repair (OAR vs EVAR) and hospital repair practice (OAR-only vs OAR/EVAR), were compared for short-term and midterm adjusted survival (0-90 days and 3 months-3 years). RESULTS: Endovascular repair was used for 37% (260/702) of the aneurysms. The adjusted hazard ratio after OAR was 1.30 (0.95-1.77; P = .098; n = 702) for 0 to 90 days and 0.63 (0.43-0.93; P = .021; n = 491) for 3 months to 3 years of follow-up compared with EVAR. The adjusted hazard ratio for a practice of OAR-only was 0.73 (0.54-1.00; P = .047; n = 702) for 0 to 90 days and 0.68 (0.45-1.05; P = .080; n = 491) for 3 months to 3 years of follow-up compared with a practice of OAR/EVAR. No interaction between repair practice and short-term survival could be shown for either sex or age. CONCLUSIONS: An OAR/EVAR practice for RAAA is not superior to an OAR-only practice with respect to survival at short-term or midterm follow-up. The results are even compatible with an advantage of OAR-only practice vs OAR/EVAR practice for both follow-up periods. There is no extra benefit for either female or elderly patients with an OAR/EVAR practice.

Liposuction Gives Complete Reduction of Arm Lymphedema following Breast Cancer Treatment-A 5-year Prospective Study in 105 Patients without Recurrence.

BACKGROUND: Arm lymphedema is a well-recognized complication after breast cancer surgery that negatively impacts patients' quality of life, both physiologically and psychologically. Lymph stasis and inflammation result in excess formation of adipose tissue, which makes removal of the deposited subcutaneous fat necessary to eliminate the excess volume. Liposuction, combined with postoperative controlled compression therapy (CCT), is the only treatment that gives complete reduction of the excess volume. The aim of this study was to evaluate the 5-year results after liposuction in combination with CCT. METHODS: Patients consecutively operated on between 1993 and 2012 were identified from the lymphedema registry, comprising all patients with nonpitting lymphedema treated with liposuction and CCT in our department. Standardized forms were used to collect pre-, peri-, and postoperative data. RESULTS: One hundred five women with nonpitting edema were treated. The mean interval between the breast cancer operation and lymphedema start was 2.9 ± 5.0 years, the mean duration of lymphedema was 10 ± 7.4 years, and the preoperative mean excess volume was 1,573 ± 645 ml. The mean volume aspirated was 1,831 ± 599 ml. Postoperative mean reduction 5 years postoperatively was 117% ± 26% as compared with the healthy arm. CONCLUSION: Liposuction is an effective method for the treatment of chronic, nonpitting, arm lymphedema resistant to conservative treatment. The volume reduction remains complete after 5 years.

Successful pregnancies after neonatal aortic thrombosis, childhood arterial repair, and a deficient pelvic vasculature.

Neonatal aortic bifurcation thrombosis can cause occlusion of iliac arteries causing abnormal pelvic vasculature and claudication in childhood. A bifurcation graft normalizes the perfusion of the legs but not of the pelvis. In a girl, this does not preclude successful pregnancies in adult life. It has not been reported before.

SF-36 Shows Increased Quality of Life Following Complete Reduction of Postmastectomy Lymphedema with Liposuction.

Abstracts Background: Arm lymphedema after breast cancer surgery affects women both from physical and psychological points of view. Lymphedema leads to adipose tissue deposition. Liposuction and controlled compression therapy (CCT) reduces the lymphedema completely. METHODS AND RESULTS: Sixty female patients with arm lymphedema were followed for a 1-year period after surgery. The 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36) was used to assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Patients completed the SF-36 questionnaire before liposuction, and after 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. Preoperative excess arm volume was 1365 ± 73 mL. Complete reduction was achieved after 3 months and was sustained during follow-up. The adipose tissue volume removed at surgery was 1373 ± 56 mL. One month after liposuction, better scores were found in mental health. After 3 months, an increase in physical functioning, bodily pain, and vitality was detected. After 1 year, an increase was also seen for social functioning. The physical component score was higher at 3 months and thereafter, while the mental component score was improved at 3 and 12 months. Compared with SF-36 norm data for the Swedish population, only physical functioning showed lower values than the norm at baseline. After liposuction, general health, bodily pain, vitality, mental health, and social functioning showed higher values at various time points. CONCLUSIONS: Liposuction of arm lymphedema in combination with CCT improves patients HRQoL as measured with SF-36. The treatment seems to target and improve both the physical and mental health domains.

Urgent carotid surgery and stenting may be safe after systemic thrombolysis for stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Early carotid surgery or stenting after thrombolytic treatment for stroke has become more common during recent years. It is unclear whether this carries an increased risk of postoperative complications and death. The aim of this nationwide population-based study was, therefore, to investigate the safety of urgently performed carotid procedures in patients treated with thrombolysis for stroke. METHODS: Using the national Vascular and Stroke registries, we identified 3998 patients who had undergone carotid endarterectomy or carotid artery stenting for symptomatic carotid stenosis between May 2008 and December 2012. Among these, 2% (79 of 3998) had undergone previous thrombolysis for stroke. We conducted a retrospective review of registry data and individual case records with regard to postoperative complications, including surgical-site bleeding, stroke, and death. The outcome was compared with the results for the remaining patient cohort (3919 of 3998) undergoing carotid surgery and stenting during the study period. RESULTS: The median time between thrombolysis and the carotid procedure was 10 days. Seventy-one patients underwent carotid endarterectomy, and 6 patients underwent carotid artery stenting. The 30-day death and stroke rate for the thrombolysis cohort was 2.5% (2 of 79), and for the whole cohort, it was 3.8% (139 of 3626; P=0.55). The postoperative bleeding rates requiring reoperation were not significantly different between the groups (3.8% [3 of 79] in the thrombolysis group versus 3.3% [119 of 3626] in the whole cohort; P=0.79). There was no correlation between time from lysis to surgery or stenting and complications at 30 days postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: Urgent carotid endarterectomy or carotid artery stenting after thrombolysis for stroke may be safe without increased risk of serious complications.