Tertiary Survey Performance in a Regional Trauma Hospital Without a Dedicated Trauma Service

Background: Initial management of trauma patients is focused on identifying life- and limb-threatening injuries and may lead to missed injuries. A tertiary survey can minimise the number and effect of missed injuries and involves a physical re-examination and review of all investigations within 24 h of admission. There is little information on current practice of tertiary survey performance in hospitals without a dedicated trauma service. We aimed to determine the rate of tertiary survey performance and the detail of documentation as well as the baseline rate of missed injuries. Methods: We performed a retrospective, descriptive study of all multitrauma patients who presented to an Australian level II regional trauma centre without a dedicated trauma service between May 2008 and February 2009. A medical records review was conducted to determine tertiary survey performance and missed injury rate. Results: Of 252 included trauma patients, 20% (n = 51) had a tertiary survey performed. A total of nine missed injuries were detected in eight patients (3.2%). Of the multiple components of the tertiary survey, most were poorly documented. Documentation was more comprehensive in the subgroup of patients who did have a formal tertiary survey. Conclusions: Tertiary survey performance was poor, as indicated by low documentation rates. The baseline missed injury rate was comparable to previous that of retrospective studies, although in this study an underestimation of true missed injury rates is likely. Implementing a formal, institutional tertiary survey may lead to improved tertiary survey performance and documentation and therefore improved trauma care in hospitals without a dedicated trauma service

Tamponamento cardíaco tardio traumático: análise de cinco casos Traumatic late cardiac tamponade: analysis of five cases

São analisados cinco casos de tamponamento cardíaco tardio traumático. Os pacientes eram masculinos, idade média de 26,2 anos, vítimas de ferimento por arma branca em região precordial, área de Ziedler, sendo admitidos em centro de referência para trauma. Foram classificados pelo índice fisiológico de Ivatury para trauma cardíaco e inicialmente tratados por pleurotomia intercostal e reposição volêmica, com estabilização do quadro hemodinâmico e respiratório. Os pacientes foram readmitidos após intervalo de oito a 24 dias (mediana de 20 dias), agora no serviço de cirurgia torácica de um hospital de referência terciária, com sinais de tamponamento cardíaco. Os exames diagnósticos confirmaram derrame pericárdico com espessamento pericárdico associado a encarceramento de base pulmonar esquerdo em quatro casos, os quais foram abordados por toracotomia póstero-lateral, com realização de pericardiectomia parcial e descorticação pulmonar. Um paciente evoluiu com pericardite purulenta, comprovada por exames complementares, e foi submetido à drenagem pericárdica subxifóidea. Ocorreu arritmia pós-operatória em um paciente; os demais evoluíram sem complicações pós-operatórias ou recidiva do tamponamento.<br>Five traumatic late cardiac tamponade cases were analyzed. All patients were male, mean age was 26.2, victims of thoracic penetrating stabbing wound in the precordial region, Ziedler area, admitted to a trauma reference center. They were classified by the Ivatury physiological index for cardiac trauma. The first treatment approach was intercostal pleurectomy and volemic resuscitation followed by hemodynamic and respiratory recovery. Patients with cardiac tamponade symptoms were re-admitted within an interval from eight to twenty four days (mean 20 days) in a thoracic surgery service of a tertiary reference hospital. Diagnostic exams confirmed thickening and pericardial effusion associated with a left pulmonary base entrapment in four of the cases which were treated by posterolateral thoracotomy, including partial pericardiectomy and pulmonary decortication. One patient was diagnosed with purulent pericarditis by supplementary exams and underwent a subxiphoid pericardial drainage. Postoperative cardiac arrhythmia occurred in one patient but the others did not develop any complications and there were no tamponade recurrent cases

The effect of tertiary surveys on missed injuries in trauma: a systematic review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Trauma tertiary surveys (TTS) are advocated to reduce the rate of missed injuries in hospitalized trauma patients. Moreover, the missed injury rate can be a quality indicator of trauma care performance. Current variation of the definition of missed injury restricts interpretation of the effect of the TTS and limits the use of missed injury for benchmarking. Only a few studies have specifically assessed the effect of the TTS on missed injury. We aimed to systematically appraise these studies using outcomes of two common definitions of missed injury rates and long-term health outcomes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A systematic review was performed. An electronic search (without language or publication restrictions) of the Cochrane Library, Medline and Ovid was used to identify studies assessing TTS with short-term measures of missed injuries and long-term health outcomes. ‘Missed injury’ was defined as either: Type I) any injury missed at primary and secondary survey and detected by the TTS; or Type II) any injury missed at primary and secondary survey <it>and</it> missed by the TTS, detected during hospital stay. Two authors independently selected studies. Risk of bias for observational studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Ten observational studies met our inclusion criteria. None was randomized and none reported long-term health outcomes. Their risk of bias varied considerably. Nine studies assessed Type I missed injury and found an overall rate of 4.3%. A single study reported Type II missed injury with a rate of 1.5%. Three studies reported outcome data on missed injuries for both control and intervention cohorts, with two reporting an increase in Type I missed injuries (3% <it>vs.</it> 7%, <it>P</it><0.01), and one a decrease in Type II missed injuries (2.4% vs. 1.5%, <it>P</it>=0.01).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Overall Type I and Type II missed injury rates were 4.3% and 1.5%. Routine TTS performance increased Type I and reduced Type II missed injuries. However, evidence is sub-optimal: few observational studies, non-uniform outcome definitions and moderate risk of bias. Future studies should address these issues to allow for the use of missed injury rate as a quality indicator for trauma care performance and benchmarking.</p