Linea alba fasciotomy: a novel alternative in trauma patients with secondary abdominal compartment syndrome.

Polytrauma patients needing aggressive resuscitation can develop intra-abdominal hypertension (IAH) with subsequent secondary abdominal compartment syndrome (SACS). After patients fail medical therapy, decompressive laparotomy is the surgical last resort. In patients with severe pancreatitis SACS, the use of linea alba fasciotomy (LAF) is an effective intervention to lower IAH without the morbidity of laparotomy. A pilot study of LAF was designed to evaluate its benefit in patients with SACS polytrauma. We conducted an observational study of blunt injury polytrauma patients undergoing LAF. Variables measured before and after LAF included intra-abdominal pressure (IAP, mmHg), abdominal perfusion pressure (APP, mmHg), right ventricular end diastolic volume index (RVEDVI, mL/m2), and ejection fraction. Of the five trauma patients with SACS, the mean age was 36 +/- 17, four (80%) male with an Injury Severity Score of 27 +/- 9. Pre- and post-LAF, IAP was 20.6 +/- 4.7 and 10.6 +/- 2.7 (P < 0.0001), APP 55.2 +/- 5.5 and 77.6 +/- 7.1 (P < 0.0001), RVEDVI 86.4 +/- 9.3 and 123.6 +/- 11.9 (P < 0.0001), and EF 27.6 +/- 4.2 and 40.8 +/- 5 (P < 0.0001), respectively. One patient needed full decompression for bile ascites from unrecognized liver injury. Linea alba fasciotomy, as a first-line intervention before committing to full abdominal decompression in patients with SACS trauma, improved physiological variables without mortality. Consideration for LAF as a bridge before full abdominal decompression needs further evaluation in patients with polytrauma SACS.

Red light cameras: do they change driver behavior and reduce accidents?

BACKGROUND: : Installation of red light cameras (RLC) at intersections associated with a high number of traffic accidents are currently in use to reduce the number of traffic collisions. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the sustained effect of RLC on driver behavior. The secondary objective was to evaluate the number of collisions before and after RLC implementation. METHODS: : For the primary objective, an 8-month prospective observational study after installation of RLC in September 2007 was undertaken at the intersection with the highest incidence of traffic accidents in the State of Louisiana. For the secondary objective, collision occurrences were collected 10 months before and after RLC installation. The mean number of citations was calculated by month, and the statistical significance of trend was obtained from a linear regression model across the study period and by t test to compare before and after citations were issued. The number of traffic collisions was compared using chi. RESULTS: : During the initial 30 days, 2,428 violations per week were recorded, whereas in the subsequent 30 days, there were 534 citations per week issued (p < 0.001). After eight months, the number of citations was reduced to an average of 356 citations per week (p < 0.01). Mean number of citations decreased significantly during implementation of RLC. Three drivers received more than one citation. Although there was a trend in reduction of collisions from 122 to 97 before and after RLC, this did not reach statistical significance; p = 0.18. CONCLUSION: : A significant and sustained reduction in the number of citations occurred as driving behavior was modified. Despite reducing the number of cars entering this intersection during a red light, RLC do not seem to prevent traffic collisions at this monitored intersection. Alternative means of injury prevention must be investigated.

Open-book pelvic fractures with perineal open wounds: a significant morbid combination.

Open-book pelvic fractures (OBPF) with concomitant intra-abdominal injuries carry a high morbidity and mortality; the significance of associated perineal open wound (OBPF-POW) has not been defined. We hypothesize that the presence of perineal open wounds increases morbidity, mortality, and concomitant use of hospital resources. Patients diagnosed with OBPF over a 5-year period at a Level I trauma center were identified by trauma registry review, and were retrospectively reviewed under an Institutional Review Board-approved protocol. Patients with OBPF without a perineal open wound were compared with those with OBPF-POW. Data collected included patient demographics, injury details, management, and outcomes. A total of 1,635 patients with blunt pelvic fractures were identified, of which 177 (10.8%) had OBPF. OBPF-POW (36/177) significantly increased the use of angioembolization, occurrence of sepsis, pelvic sepsis, ARDS, and multi-organ system failure. Patients with OBPF-POW had an increase of 13 days in length of hospitalization compared with the OBPF group (P < 0.001), with cost of $120,647.30 and $62,952.72 respectively (P < 0.001). Perineal open wounds complicate open-book pelvic fractures with significant increase in hospital resource utilization. Aggressive multidisciplinary evaluation and management is appropriate to detect and prevent complications.

The changing face of trauma: New Orleans before and after Hurricane Katrina.

Charity Hospital (CH) was devastated by Hurricane Katrina and remains closed. Design and staffing of a new, temporary dedicated trauma hospital relied on data from prior experience at CH, updated census information, and a changed trauma demographic. The study objective was to analyze the new trauma program and evaluate changes in demographics, injury patterns, and outcomes between pre- (PK) and post-Katrina (POK) trauma populations. A retrospective review of trauma patients' demographics, anatomical variables, and physiological variables 6 months PK and POK was performed under an approved Institutional Review Board protocol. Trauma activation triage criteria between study periods were also analyzed. Continuous data comparisons between the two time periods were made with Student's t test. Dichotomous data were analyzed using chi2 test. The demographic of trauma patients is different in the POK interval, reflecting changes in the New Orleans population. Modification of triage criteria by the exclusion of mechanism as an activation criterion resulted in an increase of patients with higher acuity and Injury Severity Score, lower initial Glasgow Coma Score, and a higher proportion of penetrating mechanism. Outcome measures reflect longer length of stay (4.4 vs. 6.8 days, P < 0.0001) without a significant difference in mortality (6.0 vs 7.5, P = 0.227). Hospital data demonstrates that the POK trauma system was stressed by the increased acuity, penetrating injury, and number of procedures per patient (1.7 vs. 3.4). Resources should be directed toward patients requiring multidisciplinary care by increasing intensive care unit beds and operating room capacity. Future resource planning in the recovery phases of large-scale natural disasters should take into account these observations.