A standardized trauma-specific endovascular inventory.

We believe that the rapid and widespread adoption of resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta as well as enthusiasm for catheter-based strategies has led to increased interest in basic endovascular techniques among trauma surgeons. The aim of this article was to describe the most commonly performed endovascular procedures for trauma patients, the basic capital equipment and room set up, and a parsimonious inventory of disposable supplies needed to perform each procedure. Together, these make a standardized trauma-specific endovascular inventory. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Economic/decision, level V.

The Shrail: A Comparison of a Novel Attachable Rail System With the Current Deployment Operating Table.

The current forward surgical team (FST) operating table is heavy and burdensome and hinders essential movement flexibility. A novel attachable rail system, the Shrail, has been developed to overcome these obstacles. The Shrail turns a North Atlantic Treaty Organization litter into a functional operating table. A local FST compared the assembly of the FST operating table with assembling the Shrail. Device weight, storage space, and assembly space were directly measured and compared. The mean assembly time required for the Shrail was significantly less compared with the operating table (23.36 versus 151.6 seconds; p ≤ .01). The Shrail weighs less (6.80kg versus 73.03kg) and requires less storage space (0.019m3 versus 0.323m3) compared with the current FST operating table. The Shrail provides an FST with a faster, lighter surgical table assembly. For these reasons, it is better suited for the demands of an FST and the implementation of prolonged field care.

A mobile application to support collection and analytics of real-time critical care data.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Data collection, in high intensity environments, poses several challenges including the ability to observe multiple streams of information. These problems are especially evident in critical care, where monitoring of the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) protocol provides an excellent opportunity to study the efficacy of applications that allow for the rapid capture of event information, providing theoretically-driven feedback using the data. Our goal was, (a) to design and implement a way to capture data on deviation from the standard practice based on the theoretical foundation of error classification from our past research, (b) to provide a means to meaningfully visualize the collected data, and (c) to provide a proof-of-concept for this implementation, using some understanding of user experience in clinical practice. METHODS: We present the design and development of a web application designed to be used primarily on mobile devices and a summary data viewer to allow clinicians to, (a) track their activities, (b) provide real-time feedback of deviations from guidelines and protocols, and (c) provide summary feedback highlighting decisions made. We used a framework previously developed to classify activities in trauma as the theoretical foundation of the rules designed to do the same algorithmically, in our application. Attending physicians at a Level 1 trauma center used the application in the clinical setting and provided feedback for iterative development. Informal interviews and surveys were used to gain some deeper understanding of the user experience using this application in-situ. RESULTS: Activity visualizations were created highlighting decisions made during a trauma code as well as classification of tasks per the theoretical framework. The attendings reviewed the efficacy of the data visualizations as part of their interviews. We also conducted a proof-of-concept evaluation by way of usability questionnaire. Two attendings rated 4 out of the usability 6 categories highly (inter-rater reliability: R = 0.87; weighted kappa = 0.59). This could be attributed to the fact that they were able to fit the use of the application into their regular workflow during a trauma code relatively seamlessly. A deeper evaluation is required to answer explain this further. CONCLUSIONS: Our application can be used to capture and present data to provide an accurate reflection of work activities in real-time in complex critical care environments, without any significant interruptions to workflow.

Atención primaria ortopédica y traumatológica: una necesidad en el sistema de salud del Ecuador / Primary care delivery in orthopedics and traumatology: a need for the health system in Ecuador

Introducción: el Modelo de Atención Integral en Salud del Ecuador se orienta al cumplimiento de las políticas nacionales del Plan del Buen Vivir y es uno de los mecanismos que tiene todo ciudadano de acceso a la atención oportuna, pertinente e integral de su salud. Objetivo: describir y analizar la atención médica en el servicio de Ortopedia y Traumatología de la consulta externa del hospital civil de Pasaje durante el 2015 mediante el monitoreo del RDACCA (registro diario automatizado de consultas y atenciones ambulatorias) para conocer su perfil epidemiológico y la pertinencia de enlazar esta especialidad a los centros de atención primaria de salud. Métodos: estudio descriptivo retrospectivo y transversal donde se incluyeron todos los pacientes del año 2015, atendidos en el área de consulta externa de Ortopedia y Traumatología. La información fue obtenida del RDACAA, siendo tabulada según causas de morbilidad más frecuentes, grupos de edades, sexo e interconsultas recibidas. Resultados: el total de pacientes atendidos fue de 2853. La principal entidad nosológica fue el lumbago no especificado y la incidencia de las principales diez causas que originaron la atención especializada representó un 31 por ciento (888 pacientes), de todas las atenciones. Conclusión: la prevalencia de casos vistos revela la necesidad de un servicio de Ortopedia y Traumatología que solucione los problemas ortopédicos y traumatológicos en la atención primaria de salud a través de una coordinación estrecha con los hospitales municipales, lo cual pudiera ser expandible al resto del país(AU)

Introduction: The model of comprehensive health care in Ecuador is oriented towards compliance with the national policies of the Plan of Good Living and is one of the mechanisms that every citizen has access to timely, relevant and comprehensive health care. Objective: To describe and analyze the medical care in the orthopedics and traumatology service of the outpatient clinic of the civil hospital in Pasaje during 2015, through the monitoring of the RDACCA (as it stands for Spanish automated daily record of consultations and outpatient care), in order to know its epidemiological profile and relevance of linking this specialty to primary health care centers. Methods: Retrospective and cross-sectional descriptive study that included all 2015 patients who were treated in the outpatient clinic in the service of orthopedics and traumatology. The information was obtained from the RDACAA, being tabulated according to the most frequent causes of morbidity, age groups, sex, and inter-consultations received. Results: The total number of patients treated was 2853. The main nosological entity was unspecified lumbago and the incidence of the main ten causes of specialized care accounted for 31 percent (888 patients) of all care delivery cases. Conclusion: The prevalence of cases treated reveals the need for a service in orthopedics and traumatology to solve orthopedic and trauma problems in primary health care, through close coordination with municipal hospitals, which could be expandable to the rest of the country(AU)

Reviews of Ultrasonic Vibrodrives for Traumatology.

An investigation was made of the dynamics of ultrasonic vibrodrills with a common source of rotational and ultrasonic reciprocal motions. The source was constructed on the basis of an electroacoustic transducer of longitudinal vibrations. The dependences of power, rotation speed, and flutter rates were plotted for various pushers as a function of biological tissue drag torque. The results obtained allowed us to determine the optimal parameters of basic ultrasonic modes used in treating biological tissues. Apart from that, ultrasonic vibrodrill pilot models, which are new in principle, are presented. They were designed to be applied in traumatology. A distinguishing feature of these vibrodrills is that an electroacoustic transducer of longitudinal vibrations is a source of two motion types: rotational and ultrasonic reciprocal.

Strategic Assessment of Trauma Care Capacity in Ghana.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess availability of trauma care technology in Ghana. In addition, factors contributing to deficiencies were evaluated. By doing so, potential solutions to inefficient aspects of health systems management and maladapted technology for trauma care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) could be identified. METHODS: Thirty-two items were selected from the World Health Organization's Guidelines for Essential Trauma Care. Direct inspection and structured interviews with administrative, clinical, and biomedical engineering staff were used to assess the challenges and successes of item availability at 40 purposively sampled district, regional, and tertiary hospitals. RESULTS: Hospital assessments demonstrated marked deficiencies. Some of these were low cost, such as basic airway supplies, chest tubes, and cervical collars. Item non-availability resulted from several contributing factors, namely equipment absence, lack of training, frequent stock-outs, and technology breakage. A number of root causes for these factors were identified, including ineffective healthcare financing by way of untimely national insurance reimbursements, procurement and stock-management practices, and critical gaps in local biomedical engineering and trauma care training. Nonetheless, local examples of successfully overcoming deficiencies were identified (e.g., public-private partnering, ensuring company engineers trained technicians on-the-job during technology installation or servicing). CONCLUSION: While availability of several low-cost items could be better supplied by improvements in stock-management and procurement policies, there is a critical need for redress of the national insurance reimbursement system and trauma care training of district hospital staff. Further, developing local service and technical support capabilities is more and more pressing as technology plays an increasingly important role in LMIC healthcare systems.

Strategic assessment of the availability of pediatric trauma care equipment, technology and supplies in Ghana.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the availability of pediatric trauma care items (i.e. equipment, supplies, technology) and factors contributing to deficiencies in Ghana. METHODS: Ten universal and 9 pediatric-sized items were selected from the World Health Organization's Guidelines for Essential Trauma Care. Direct inspection and structured interviews with administrative, clinical and biomedical engineering staff were used to assess item availability at 40 purposively sampled district, regional and tertiary hospitals in Ghana. RESULTS: Hospital assessments demonstrated marked deficiencies for a number of essential items (e.g. basic airway supplies, chest tubes, blood pressure cuffs, electrolyte determination, portable X-ray). Lack of pediatric-sized items resulting from equipment absence, lack of training, frequent stock-outs and technology breakage were common. Pediatric items were consistently less available than adult-sized items at each hospital level. CONCLUSION: This study identified several successes and problems with pediatric trauma care item availability in Ghana. Item availability could be improved, both affordably and reliably, by better organization and planning (e.g. regular assessment of demand and inventory, reliable financing for essential trauma care items). In addition, technology items were often broken. Developing local service and biomedical engineering capability was highlighted as a priority to avoid long periods of equipment breakage.

Evaluation of training program for surgical trauma teams in Botswana.

BACKGROUND: Trauma represents a challenge to healthcare systems worldwide, particularly in low-and middle-income countries. Positive effects can be achieved by improving trauma care at the scene of the accident and throughout hospitalization and rehabilitation. Therefore, we assessed the long-term effects of national implementation of a training program for multidisciplinary trauma teams in a southern African country. METHODS: From 2007 to 2009, an educational program for trauma, "Better and Systematic Team Training," (BEST) was implemented at all government hospitals in Botswana. The effects were assessed through interviews, a structured questionnaire, and physical inspections using the World Health Organization's "Guidelines for Essential Trauma Care." Data on human and physical resources, infrastructure, trauma administrative functions, and quality-improvement activities before and at 2-year follow-up were compared for all 27 government hospitals. RESULTS: A majority of hospitals had formed local trauma organizations; half were performing multidisciplinary trauma simulations and some had organized multidisciplinary trauma teams with alarm criteria. A number of hospitals had developed local trauma guidelines and local trauma registries. More equipment for advanced airway management and stiff cervical collars were available after 2 years. There were also improvements in the skills necessary for airway and breathing management. The most changes were seen in the northern region of Botswana. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of BEST in Botswana hospitals was associated with several positive changes at 2-year follow-up, particularly for trauma administrative functions and quality-improvement activities. The effects on obtaining technical equipment and skills were moderate and related mostly to airway and breathing management.

Digital video recording in trauma surgery using commercially available equipment.

INTRODUCTION: Although videos of surgical procedures are useful as an educational tool, the recording of trauma surgeries in emergency situations is difficult. We describe an inexpensive and practical shooting method using a commercially available head-mounted video camera. METHODS: We used a ContourHD 1080p Helmet Camera (Contour Inc., Seattle, Washington, USA.). This small, self-contained video camera and recording system was originally designed for easy videography of outdoor sports by participants. RESULTS: We were able to easily make high-quality video recordings of our trauma surgeries, including an emergency room thoracotomy for chest stab wounds and a crush laparotomy for a severe liver injury. CONCLUSION: There are currently many options for recording surgery in the field, but the recording device and system should be chosen according to the surgical situation. We consider the use of a helmet-mounted, self-contained high-definition video camera-recorder to be an inexpensive, quick, and easy method for recording trauma surgeries.

[Biomaterials in bone repair]. / Biomateriaalit luuston korjauksessa.

In orthopedics, traumatology, and craniofacial surgery, biomaterials should meet the clinical demands of bone that include shape, size and anatomical location of the defect, as well as the physiological load-bearing stresses. Biomaterials are metals, ceramics, plastics or materials of biological origin. In the treatment of large defects, metallic endoprostheses or bone grafts are employed, whereas ceramics in the case of small defects. Plastics are employed on the artificial joint surfaces, in the treatment of vertebral compression fractures, and as biodegradable screws and plates. Porosity, bioactivity, and identical biomechanics to bone are fundamental for achieving a durable, well-bonded, interface between biomaterial and bone. In the case of severe bone treatments, biomaterials should also imply an option to add biologically active substances.

Requirements analysis of a 5 degree of freedom haptic simulator for orthopedic trauma surgery.

There are currently few Virtual Reality simulators for orthopedic trauma surgery. The current simulators provide only a basic recreation of the manual skills involved, focusing instead on the procedural and anatomical knowledge required. One factor limiting simulation of the manual skills is the complexity of adding realistic haptic feedback, particularly torques. This paper investigates the requirements, in terms of forces and workspace (linear and rotational), of a haptic interface to simulate placement of a lag screw in the femoral head, such as for fixation of a fracture in the neck of the femur. To measure these requirements, a study has been conducted involving 5 subjects with experience performing this particular procedure. The results gathered are being used to inform the design of a new haptic simulator for orthopedic trauma surgery.

Russian war surgery in 1812: 200 years since Russia's war triumph.

Specific wounds inflicted on soldiers and officers of the Russian Army by French firearms and cold weapon and wound treatment by Russian surgeons during 1812 Napoleon's invasion (better known in Russia as the Patriotic War of 1812) are discussed. An inference is made that the then surgical treatment was not only administered at a high level but was also versatile and efficient and thus could make a certain contribution to the victory of the Russian arms.

Advanced technologies in trauma critical care management.

Care of critically injured patients has evolved over the 50 years since Shoemaker established one of the first trauma units at Cook County Hospital in 1962. Modern trauma intensive care units offer a high nurse-to-patient ratio, physicians and midlevel providers who manage the patients, and technologically advanced monitors and therapeutic devices designed to optimize the care of patients. This article describes advances that have transformed trauma critical care, including bedside ultrasonography, novel patient monitoring techniques, extracorporeal support, and negative pressure dressings. It also discusses how to evaluate the safety and efficacy of future advances in trauma critical care.

Surgical navigation recording systems in orbitozygomatic traumatology.

An essential step in the navigation procedure is the recording of markers required for the triangulation of the intraoperative navigation system. The aim of this study was to describe the procedure and preliminary results of a simple methodology for the application of dental markers to achieve good triangulation of the navigation system in maxillofacial surgery, highlighting the indications, contraindications, and possible limitations.We analyzed results from a sample of 7 patients with orbital or orbitozygomatic fractures, who were subjected to surgical intervention for the reduction and synthesis of the zygomatic fracture and from 1 case of untreated orbital fracture with enophthalmos and diplopia. We used 2 different types of dental markers: in 3 patients, we used 4 or 5 ordinary orthodontic brackets, which we placed on their upper maxillary teeth, and in 1 patient, the hexagonal-headed screws used in osteosynthesis. The accuracy of the recording was assessed during surgery by checking healthy anatomic structures against computed tomographic images. By analyzing our clinical results in light of the most recent literature, we highlighted that the application of dental markers is comparable with the best recording systems requiring a discrepancy of less than 1 mm.From the preliminary clinical analysis of the results, we confirm that the introduction of this new and simple procedure enables the successful triangulation of the navigation system, which can be used whenever the use of a navigator is required.

[Flat panel technology in the orthopaedic trauma operating room]. / Flat-panel-Technologie im orthopädisch-unfallchirurgischen Operationssaal.

The advantages of flat panel detector technology with X-ray sensitive semiconductor technology has increasingly gained acceptance in the inpatient setting for diagnostic X-ray imaging in recent years and has replaced conventional X-ray films. For intraoperative imaging C-arms, not least for cost reasons, are still based on conventional image intensifier technology. By improving the robustness of the flat panel technology and cost-effective production, future spread of these technologies in the OR could be expected. Direct digital imaging with improved image quality, with a possible reduction in radiation dose while at the same time enlarging the image field, can affect the procedural quality of surgery. A return on investment can be achieved in part by saving time and avoiding additional postoperative imaging.

Battlefield applications for handheld ultrasound.

Combat medical care provides unique challenges and opportunities for military medical teams. The austerity of the environment severely limits access to many diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Because of their compact size, handheld ultrasound (US) machines are increasingly being used in these constrained environments. A growing body of literature documents the diagnostic utility of handheld US for trauma encountered in the battlefield. Furthermore, US guidance may assist in the performance of some procedures performed in battlefield medical care. This review will provide an overview of the history, current status, limitations and potential future of US utility for the battlefield.

Prevalência dos materiais utilizados para osteossíntese de fraturas faciais em João Pessoa/PB / The prevalence of materials used for facial fracture’s osteosynthesis in João Pessoa/PB

O objetivo do presente trabalho é avaliar a prevalência, uso e especificações dos materiais utilizados para osteossíntese de fraturas faciais em serviço de emergência da rede pública estadual de João Pessoa/PB. Para pesquisa foi utilizado o procedimento estatístico-descritivo com técnica de pesquisa documental indireta através de 349 prontuários de pacientes internados para tratamento cirúrgico de lesões faciais. Os resultados foram processados através do programa Epinfo 6.0, podendo-se concluir que: a) a prevalência dos materiais de osteossíntese variou quanto ao tipo; b) as placas e parafusos de titânio do sistema 2.0 mm foram os materiais mais utilizados; c) o sistema de 1.5 mm de placas e parafusos de titânio foi o mais utilizado para a osteossíntese das fraturas de maior ocorrência, as fraturas orbitárias.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence, use and specifications of materials used for osteosynthesisof facial fractures in the emergency service of public emergency unity in João Pessoa/PB. A statistical-descriptiveprocedure was used with indirectly technique research through documentary records of 349 patients admitted for surgical treatment of facial injuries. The results were processed using the program Epinfo 6.0, and can be concluded that: a) the prevalence of osteosynthesis materials suffered variation according to type; b) the 2.0 mm titanium plates and screws system were the most used materials; c) the 1.5 mm titanium plates and screws system were the most used materials for the fracture’s osteosynthesis of higher occurrence, the orbital fractures.