It is recommended that healthcare providers should review their current equipment provision and approach to managing risks and injuries associated with patient handling activities in the context of this research evidence.
Simulation in surgery is becoming an important component of surgical education. Training on bench top models has been demonstrated to improve technical skills. The objective of our project was to create a vascular surgery simulation model. The simulation model consists of a platform, artificial blood reservoir, artificial blood, inflow and outflow limbs, electric motor, battery, pulse generator, and cryopreserved vessel. Three different vascular surgery simulation stations were created: carotid endarterectomy with shunting and patch angioplasty, arterial bypass, and arteriovenous graft formation. A scientific study involving surgical residents will need to be undertaken to determine whether this simulator has intermodal transferability.
Trauma patients report being unprepared for hospital discharge. The purpose of this study was to identify follow-up compliance rates at our trauma clinic and identify factors associated with trauma patients' adherence to follow-up appointment. We recruited patients 15 years and older who were discharged from the trauma service between December 2014 and August 2015. Demographic information and injury-related variables were obtained from the trauma registry for patients who attended their follow-up and those who did not attend. Follow-up appointment weather data were collected. All patients were surveyed regarding barriers to compliance. There was no difference in demographics, number of intensive care unit days, length of stay, or distance to the clinic. On days with rain or snow, patients were less likely to follow-up. Patients were more likely to follow-up on warmer days, and maximum daily air temperature was an independent predictor of follow-up compliance. Mechanism of injury and trauma activations were associated with higher follow-up compliance. Trauma patients are overall compliant with postdischarge follow-up appointments. There are no consistent factors related to trauma follow-up when compared with similar follow-up studies.
Traditional care of mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) is to discharge patients from the emergency department (ED) if they have a Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) of 15 and a normal head computed tomography (CT) scan. However, this does not address short-term neurocognitive deficits. Our hypothesis is that a notable percentage of patients will need outpatient neurocognitive therapy despite a reassuring initial presentation. This is a retrospective review of patients with MTBI at an urban Level I trauma center. Inclusion criteria were a diagnosis of MTBI in patients 14 years old or older, GCS 15, negative head CT scan, a completed neurocognitive evaluation, blunt mechanism, and no confounding psychiatric comorbidities. Six thousand thirty-two patients were admitted over 18 months. Three hundred ninety-five patients met inclusion criteria. Average age was 38 years (range, 14 to 93 years), 64 per cent were male, and mean Injury Severity Score (ISS) was 8.1. Forty-one per cent were cleared for discharge without follow-up. Twenty-seven per cent required ongoing neurocognitive therapy. Three per cent were deemed unsafe for discharge home. Of the patients cleared for discharge, 88 per cent had positive/questionable loss of consciousness (LOC), whereas 81 per cent who required additional therapy had positive/questionable LOC ( P = 0.20). Age, gender, ISS, and alcohol use were compared between the groups and not found to be statistically different rendering them poor predictors for appropriate discharge from the ED. A surprisingly high percentage (27%) of patients who would have met traditional ED discharge criteria were found to have persistent deficits after neurocognitive testing and were referred for ongoing therapy. We provide evidence to suggest that we should take pause before discharging patients with MTBI without a cognitive evaluation.
The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) is used by rehabilitation professionals to access disability. The FIM score combines both motor and cognitive parameters to assess a patient's level of required assistance in performing activities of daily living (ADL). The geriatric trauma patient is becoming an increasingly important cohort for trauma services. FIM has been shown to predict discharge outcomes and those at high risk for falls. We hypothesized pretrauma FIM scores may predict survival in the geriatric trauma population. This was a retrospective study of patients 65 years and older that were admitted to our Level I trauma center from July 1, 2006 to July 1, 2012. A total 941 patients underwent stepwise regression to identify those factors predicting survival. Age, Injury Severity Score, revised trauma score, body mass index, and pretrauma FIM scores (12-point scale) were studied. The primary outcome was survival. Statistical significance reached at P value <0.05. Multiple logistic regression analysis was then performed. A total of 1315 patients were identified and complete data were available on 941 patients. Mean age was 78 (SD ± 8.2), mean Injury Severity Score was 13(SD ± 8.7), and mean body mass index was 26. Overall mortality was 11 per cent. The odds ratio of survival was 3.532 (95% confidence interval = 2.191–5.718) times greater for every 1-point increase in the preadmission FIM expression score. Glasgow Coma Scale, revised trauma score, gender, and pretrauma FIM expression scores were predictive of survival in the geriatric trauma patient. Pretrauma FIM expression can be used to predict survival in the elderly trauma victim. Further study is needed to establish the role of FIM as part of trauma scoring systems.
With the growing Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) regulations, studies have increasingly reported decreased technical proficiencies by clinical trainees. One major way programs have addressed this is by adopting proficiency through simulation training. One such crucial technique is radial artery line cannulation, an invasive procedure performed by trainees across multiple medical disciplines. The objective of this project was to design a high-fidelity, pulsatile, automated radial artery line simulation model that supports ultrasound (US) guided insertion and pressure transduction that could potentially be used for technical skill development and training purposes. A radial artery line simulation model was designed using a pulsatile, arterial circuit with an alginate silicone cast molded artificial hand that supported cannulation under US guidance. The radial arterial circuit pressure was transduced to display a simulated arterial waveform and pressure. Five radial artery lines were successfully cannulated under US guidance followed by pressure transduction. The results, although qualitative, demonstrate a proof of concept. Further studies are needed to determine if the radial artery simulation model can be used as an educational tool to help train medical professionals.
In cases of complex aortic arch anatomy, it can be difficult to obtain wire access into the ascending aorta for deployment of a thoracic endograft (thoracic endovascular aortic repair [TEVAR]) using a transfemoral approach. This can result from tortuosity or patulous aneurysmal areas, making platform stability difficult. We report the case of a young adult man with a large proximal left subclavian aneurysm that made zone 0 TEVAR placement very difficult with transfemoral access alone. Direct ascending aortic access through the open chest allowed for a stable through-and-through platform for endograft delivery, highlighting the efficacy of this seldom-needed technique during debranching TEVAR procedures.
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