The relation of hyperglycemia and mortality is more pronounced in trauma patients than in SICU patients admitted for other reasons. The different behavior of hyperglycemia in these patients underscores the need for evaluation of intensive insulin therapy in these patients.

In a large series of trauma patients, Ht and Hb behaved as identical parameters. The idea that Ht is different from or even superior to Hb is a misconception. There is no reason for determining both Ht and Hb in trauma patients.

Striking are the consequences of the aging of the Dutch population: an almost 10-year increase in mean age and a rise in severe head and neck injuries in the population treated at our trauma center. The unchanged mortality and improved outcome of survivors represented the enhanced trauma care.

Background: The allocation of a trauma network in Queensland is still in the developmental phase. In a search for indicators to improve trauma care both locally as state-wide, a study was carried out comparing trauma patients in Queensland to trauma patients in Germany, a country with 82.4 million inhabitants and a well-established trauma system. Methods: Trauma patients Ն15 years of age, with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) Ն 16 admitted to the Princess Alexandra Hospital (PAH) and to the 59 German hospitals participating in the Trauma Registry of the German Society for Trauma Surgery (DGU-G) during the year 2005 were retrospectively identified and analysed. Results: Both cohorts are comparable when it comes to demographics and injury mechanism, but differ significantly in other important aspects. Striking is the low number of primary admitted patients in the PAH cohort: 58% versus 83% in the DGU-G cohort. PAH patients were less physiologically deranged and less severely injured: ISS 25.2 Ϯ 9.9 versus 29.9 Ϯ 13.1 (P < 0.001). Subsequently, they less often needed surgery (61% versus 79%), ICU admission (49% versus 92%) and had a lower mortality: 9.8% versus 17.9% of the DGU-G cohort. Conclusions: Relevant differences were the low number of primary admissions, the lesser severity of injuries, and the low mortality of the patients treated at the PAH. These differences are likely to be interrelated and Queensland's size and suboptimal organization of trauma care may have played an important role.

The value of the trauma mechanism in the triage of severely injured elderly Nijboer, J.M.M.; van der Sluis, Corry K.; Dijkstra, Pieter U. ; ten Duis, H.J. Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.Downloaded from the University of Groningen/UMCG research database (Pure): http://www.rug.nl/research/portal. For technical reasons the number of authors shown on this cover page is limited to 10 maximum. Abstract Background: The triage of trauma patients is currently based on the trauma mechanism. However, it is known that elderly patients can sustain severe injuries due to insignificant trauma mechanisms. As such, triage methods might be questionable. Objective: To evaluate whether current trauma triage criteria are appropriate in severely injured elderly patients. Methods: To analyze the effect of the trauma mechanism on triage and treatment, consecutive patients ‡ 55 years of age, with an injury severity score > 15, treated from 2002 to 2005 were divided into those who sustained a high-energy trauma (HET) versus a low energy trauma (LET). Pre-hospital and in-hospital data, injury characteristics, and data on mortality and disablement one year postinjury (sickness impact profile) were analyzed for HET and LET groups. Results: Age, sex and co-morbidity rate were similar in 84 HET patients and 107 LET patients. HET patients (mean ISS 28) received more sophisticated trauma care than LET patients (mean ISS 22), although mortality was similar (38 vs. 34%). Long-term disablement was also similar (median SIP scores 4 vs. 6). Severe head injuries and the Revised Trauma Score were related to mortality. Physical disablement was related to preexisting co-morbidities. No variables were related to psychosocial disablement. Conclusions: In elderly people a low energy trauma may lead to severe consequences. Not only the trauma mechanism, but also age, co-morbidity, and the likelihood of a brain injury should be leading in the triage and subsequent management of severely injured elderly.

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Naar aanleiding van de publicatie van de APSArichtlijnen voor behandeling van stomp lever-en miltletsel bij kinderen in 2000, zijn alle leverletsels bij kinderen van de afgelopen 18 jaar in het UMCG geanalyseerd. Het traumamechanisme, de behandeling, de opnametijd, de morbiditeit en de mortaliteit werden geanalyseerd. Vervolgens werd de groep gesplitst in voor en na 2000.Conclusie: de incidentie en het mechanisme lijken leeftijdgerelateerd. Er is een duidelijke verschuiving naar niet operatieve behandeling (NOT) sinds 2000. Complicaties zijn schaars en het succes van NOT is 96%. De gemiddelde IC-tijd is verminderd, maar de totale opnametijd zou mogelijk nog korter kunnen.

Vulva cancer is the fourth leading gynaecological malignancy, accounting for approximately 4 % of all gynaecological cancers. Surgery represents the treatment of choice, and cases of advanced or recurrent vulvar cancers are to date a major challenge to multidisciplinary teams. Abdominoperineal excision (APE) in combination with vulvectomy and inguinal lymphadenectomy is the only curative treatment option. Patients' files of all women with squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva who underwent abdominoperineal resection were retrospectively reviewed with special regards to technical challenges the general surgeon will face. Seven women were enrolled in this retrospective study with a median age of 71 years (range 56-79 years). In six patients, the pelvic floor after abdominoperineal excision could be closed by direct suture of the levator muscles. One woman underwent abdominoperineal resection with closure of the defect using a vertical rectus abdominis myocutaneous (VRAM) flap. All women underwent radical vulvectomy, in five patients in combination with bilateral inguinal lymph node dissection. Operation time was 377 min (range 130-505 min). The median overall survival after surgery was 27 months (range 4-84 months), with a calculated 5-year survival rate of 42 %. Women with negative lymph nodes revealed a longer survival time after surgery compared to women with lymph node metastases (15.5 vs. 72 months; p=0.09). Abdominoperineal excisions represent a powerful tool in the multidisciplinary treatment regimen of advanced or recurrent vulvar cancer. Reconstruction of the pelvic floor usually does not require myocutaneous flaps, even when facing large tumours. Despite high complication rates, radical surgery was a feasible treatment with long-term survival potential without mortality.