Hypothermia in trauma patients: predicting the big chill

Physicians commonly ignore hypothermia, an often-underappreciated event associated with mortality in trauma patients, in general due to its prevalence and belief that it is secondary to the injury itself (secondary hypothermia). Over the past several decades, hypothermia in trauma has been studied concerning its effects on mortality; however, very little has been done to identify the major risk factors associated with it. The study by Lapostolle and colleagues has attempted to incorporate environmental risk factors and prehospital care along with more traditional variables for the prediction of hypothermia at admission

An Unusual Presentation of a Posterior Mediastinal Schwannoma Associated with Traumatic Hemothorax

Schwannomas of the thoracic cavity are typically an asymptomatic, benign neurogenic neoplasm of the posterior mediastinum. In this case, we present a traumatic hemothorax as the initial presentation for a previously undiscovered mediastinal mass. The patient presented with shortness of breath and right-sided chest pain after being struck in the chest with a soccer ball. An operative exploration was pursued due to persistent hemothorax with hemodynamic instability despite resuscitation and adequate thoracostomy tube placement. The intraoperative etiology of bleeding was discovered to be traumatic fracture of a large hypervascular posterior mediastinal schwannoma. Surgical resection is the treatment of choice for these tumors. Specific serological markers do not exist for this tumor, and radiographic findings can be variable, so tissue diagnosis is of importance in differentiating benign from malignant schwannomas, as well as other posterior mediastinal tumors. However, most patients have excellent survival following complete resection

Spontaneous Diaphragmatic Rupture in Hypermobile Type Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome refers to a spectrum of connective tissue disorders that have a variety of clinical manifestations. In this case, we present a spontaneous diaphragmatic rupture in a patient with type III Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. The patient presented with worsening shortness of breath after failure of medical therapy for a presumed pneumonia. A CT scan was obtained which showed diaphragmatic rupture with splenic herniation which was repaired in the operating room via thoracotomy. It is important to include diaphragmatic rupture in the differential diagnosis for patients with connective tissue disease and acute onset tachypnea and pain, as this complication has the potential for significant morbidity without prompt surgical intervention

Cirurgia para o controle de danos: Sua evolução durante os últimos 20 anos

In less than twenty years, what began as a concept for the treatment of exsanguinating truncal trauma patients has become the primary treatment model for numerous emergent, life threatening surgical conditions incapable of tolerating traditional methods. Its core concepts are relative straightforward and simple in nature: first, proper identification of the patient who is in need of following this paradigm; second, truncation of the initial surgical procedure to the minimal necessary operation; third, aggressive, focused resuscitation in the intensive care unit; fourth, definitive care only once the patient is optimized to tolerate the procedure. These simple underlying principles can be molded to a variety of emergencies, from its original application in combined major vascular and visceral trauma to the septic abdomen and orthopedics. A host of new resuscitation strategies and technologies have been developed over the past two decades, from permissive hypotension and damage control resuscitation to advanced ventilators and hemostatic agents, which have allowed for a more focused resuscitation, allowing some of the morbidity of this model to be reduced. The combination of the simple, malleable paradigm along with better understanding of resuscitation has proven to be a potent blend. As such, what was once an almost lethal injury (combined vascular and visceral injury) has become a survivable one

Lung Protective Ventilation (ARDSNet) versus APRV: Ventilatory Management in a Combined Model of Acute Lung and Brain Injury

BACKGROUND: Concomitant lung/brain traumatic injury, results in significant morbidity and mortality. Lung protective ventilation (ARDSNet) has become the standard for managing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS); however, the resulting permissive hypercapnea may compound traumatic brain injury (TBI). Airway pressure release ventilation (APRV) offers an alternative strategy for management of this patient population. APRV was hypothesized to retard the progression of acute lung/brain injury to a greater degree than ARDSNet in a swine model. METHODS: Yorkshire swine were randomized to ARDSNet, APRV, or sham. Ventilatory settings and pulmonary parameters, vitals, blood gases, quantitative histopathology, and cerebral microdialysis were compared between groups using chi-square, Fisher’s exact, Student’s t-test, Wilcoxon rank-sum, and mixed effects repeated measures modeling. RESULTS: 22 swine (17 male, 5 female), weighing 25±6.0kg, were randomized to APRV (n=9), ARDSNet (n=12), or sham (n=1). PaO(2)/FiO(2) (P/F) ratio dropped significantly while intracranial pressure increased significantly for all three groups immediately following lung and brain injury. Over time, peak inspiratory pressure, mean airway pressure, and P/F ratio significantly increased, while total respiratory rate significantly decreased within the APRV group compared to the ARDSNet group. Histopathology did not show significant differences between groups in overall brain or lung tissue injury; however, cerebral microdialysis trends suggested increased ischemia within the APRV group compared to ARDSNet over time. CONCLUSION: Previous studies have not evaluated the effects of APRV in this population. While our macroscopic parameters and histopathology did not observe a significant difference between groups, microdialysis data suggest a trend toward increased cerebral ischemia associated with APRV over time. Additional and future studies should focus on extending the time interval for observation to further delineate differences between groups. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II STUDY TYPE: Therapeuti

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Correction to: Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake

Prevalence, associated factors and outcomes of pressure injuries in adult intensive care unit patients: the DecubICUs study

Funder: European Society of Intensive Care Medicine; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100013347Funder: Flemish Society for Critical Care NursesAbstract: Purpose: Intensive care unit (ICU) patients are particularly susceptible to developing pressure injuries. Epidemiologic data is however unavailable. We aimed to provide an international picture of the extent of pressure injuries and factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries in adult ICU patients. Methods: International 1-day point-prevalence study; follow-up for outcome assessment until hospital discharge (maximum 12 weeks). Factors associated with ICU-acquired pressure injury and hospital mortality were assessed by generalised linear mixed-effects regression analysis. Results: Data from 13,254 patients in 1117 ICUs (90 countries) revealed 6747 pressure injuries; 3997 (59.2%) were ICU-acquired. Overall prevalence was 26.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 25.9–27.3). ICU-acquired prevalence was 16.2% (95% CI 15.6–16.8). Sacrum (37%) and heels (19.5%) were most affected. Factors independently associated with ICU-acquired pressure injuries were older age, male sex, being underweight, emergency surgery, higher Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, Braden score 3 days, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, immunodeficiency), organ support (renal replacement, mechanical ventilation on ICU admission), and being in a low or lower-middle income-economy. Gradually increasing associations with mortality were identified for increasing severity of pressure injury: stage I (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% CI 1.2–1.8), stage II (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4–1.9), and stage III or worse (OR 2.8; 95% CI 2.3–3.3). Conclusion: Pressure injuries are common in adult ICU patients. ICU-acquired pressure injuries are associated with mainly intrinsic factors and mortality. Optimal care standards, increased awareness, appropriate resource allocation, and further research into optimal prevention are pivotal to tackle this important patient safety threat

Spontaneous Diaphragmatic Rupture in Hypermobile Type Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome refers to a spectrum of connective tissue disorders that have a variety of clinical manifestations. In this case, we present a spontaneous diaphragmatic rupture in a patient with type III Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. The patient presented with worsening shortness of breath after failure of medical therapy for a presumed pneumonia. A CT scan was obtained which showed diaphragmatic rupture with splenic herniation which was repaired in the operating room via thoracotomy. It is important to include diaphragmatic rupture in the differential diagnosis for patients with connective tissue disease and acute onset tachypnea and pain, as this complication has the potential for significant morbidity without prompt surgical intervention

Hypothermia in trauma patients: predicting the big chill

Physicians commonly ignore hypothermia, an often-underappreciated event associated with mortality in trauma patients, in general due to its prevalence and belief that it is secondary to the injury itself (secondary hypothermia). Over the past several decades, hypothermia in trauma has been studied concerning its effects on mortality; however, very little has been done to identify the major risk factors associated with it. The study by Lapostolle and colleagues has attempted to incorporate environmental risk factors and prehospital care along with more traditional variables for the prediction of hypothermia at admission