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ObjectivesCOVID-19 has changed the epidemiology of trauma. However, Taiwan is a country with a low COVID-19 threat, and people’s daily lives have remained mostly unchanged during this period. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether the trend of trauma incidence and the service of trauma care is affected by the relatively minor COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan.DesignA single-institute, retrograde cohort study.SettingAn observational study based on the trauma registry of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (CGMH).ParticipantsTrauma patients presented to the emergency department of CGMH in the period of 1 January to 30 June 2020 (week 1 to week 26) were designated as the COVID-19 group, with 1980 patients in total. Patients of the same period in 2015–2019 were designated as the pre-COVID-19 group, with 10 334 patients overall.Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe primary outcome is the incidence of trauma admission. Differences in trauma mechanism, severity, location and outcome were also compared in both groups.ResultsA decrease in trauma incidence during March and April 2020 was noticed. Significant change (p<0.001) in trauma mechanisms was discovered, with decreased burn (5.8% vs 3.6%) and assault (4.8% vs 1.2%), and increased transport accidents (43.2% vs 47.2%) and suicide (0.2% vs 1.0%) in the COVID-19 cohort. A shift in injury locations was also found with a 5% decrement of workplace injuries (19.8% vs 14.8%, p<0.001).ConclusionThe limited COVID-19 outbreak in Taiwan has led to a decreased incidence of trauma patients, and the reduction is mostly attributed to the decline in workplace injuries.

Background After clinical evaluation in the emergency department (ED), facial burn patients are usually intubated to protect their airways. However, the possibility of unnecessary intubation or delayed intubation after admission exists. Objective criteria for the evaluation of inhalation injury and the need for airway protection in facial burn patients are needed. Methods Facial burn patients between January 2013 and May 2016 were reviewed. Patients who were and were not intubated in the ED were compared. All the intubated patients received routine bronchoscopy and laboratory tests to evaluate whether they had inhalation injuries. The patients with and without confirmed inhalation injuries were compared. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent risk factors for inhalation injuries in the facial burn patients. The reasons for intubation in the patients without inhalation injuries were also investigated. Results During the study period, 121 patients were intubated in the ED among a total of 335 facial burn patients. Only 73 (60.3%) patients were later confirmed to have inhalation injuries on bronchoscopy. The comparison between the patients with and without inhalation injuries showed that shortness of breath (odds ratio = 3.376, p = 0.027) and high total body surface area (TBSA) (odds ratio = 1.038, p = 0.001) were independent risk factors for inhalation injury. Other physical signs (e.g., hoarseness, burned nostril hair, etc.), laboratory examinations and chest X-ray findings were not predictive of inhalation injury in facial burn patients. All the patients with a TBSA over 60% were intubated in the ED even if they did not have inhalation injuries. Conclusions In the management of facial burn patients, positive signs on conventional physical examinations may not always be predictive of inhalation injury and the need for endotracheal tube intubation in the ED. More attention should be given to facial burn patients with shortness of breath and a high TBSA. Airway protection is needed in facial burn patients without inhalation injuries because of their associated injuries and treatments.

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Background The advanced technology of interventional radiology may contribute to a rapid and timely angioembolization for hemostasis. We hypothesized that unstable hemodynamics is no longer an absolute contraindication of nonoperative management (NOM) in blunt splenic injury patients using rapid angioembolization. Methods From January 2009 to December 2019, blunt splenic injury patients with unstable hemodynamics [initial pulse >120 beats/min or systolic blood pressure <90 mm Hg] were included. Either emergency surgery or angioembolization was performed for hemostasis because of their unstable status. The characteristics of patients who underwent angioembolization or surgery were compared in each group (all patients, patients with hypotension, patients without response to resuscitation and hypotensive patients without response to resuscitation). Results A total of 73 patients were included in the current study. With respect to all patients, 68.5% (N = 50) of patients underwent NOM with angioembolization for hemostasis. Patients who underwent angioembolization for hemostasis had a significantly lower base deficit (5.3 ± 3.8 vs. 8.3 ± 5.2 mmol/L, p = 0.006) and a higher proportion of response to resuscitation (82.0% vs. 30.4%, p < 0.001) than did patients who underwent surgery. However, there was no significant difference in the proportion of hypotension (58.0% vs. 65.2%, p = 0.558) between these two groups. There were 44 patients with hypotension, and the angioembolization could be performed in 65.9% (N = 29) of them. Patients who underwent angioembolization had a significantly higher proportion of response to resuscitation than did patients who underwent surgery (89.7% vs. 33.3%, p < 0.001). In hypotensive patients without response to resuscitation (N = 13), 23.1% (N = 3) of the patients underwent angioembolization successfully. There was no significant difference in time to hemostasis procedure between patients who underwent angioembolization or surgery (24.7 ± 2.1 vs. 26.3 ± 16.7 min, p = 0.769). The demographics, vital signs, blood transfusion amount, injury severity, mortality rate and length of stay of patients who underwent angioembolization were not significantly different from patients who underwent surgery in each group. Conclusions With a short preparation time of angioembolization, the NOM could be performed selectively for hemodynamically unstable patients with blunt splenic injury. The base deficit serves as an early detector of the requirement of surgical treatment.

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Background: Traumatic hollow viscus injury (THVI) is one of the most difficult challenges in the trauma setting. Computed tomography (CT) is the most common modality used to diagnose THVI; however, various performance outcomes of CT have been reported. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to analyze how precise and reliable CT is as a tool for the assessment of THVI. Method: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted on studies on the use of CT to diagnose THVI. Publications were retrieved by performing structured searches in databases, review articles and major textbooks. For the statistical analysis, summary receiver operating characteristic (SROC) curves were constructed using hierarchical models. Results: Sixteen studies enrolling 12,514 patients were eligible for the final analysis. The summary sensitivity and specificity of CT for the diagnosis of THVI were 0.678 (95% CI: 0.501–0.809) and 0.969 (95% CI: 0.920–0.989), respectively. The summary false positive rate was 0.031 (95% CI 0.011–0.071). Conclusion: In this meta-analysis, we found that CT had indeterminate sensitivity and excellent specificity for the diagnosis of THVI.

​ObjectivesTo assess the impact of lower socioeconomic status on the outcome of major torso trauma patients under the single-payer system by the National Health Insurance (NHI) in Taiwan.​DesignA nationwide, retrospective cohort study.​SettingAn observational study from the NHI Research Database (NHIRD), involving all the insurees in the NHI.​ParticipantsPatients with major torso trauma (injury severity score ≥16) from 2003 to 2013 in Taiwan were included. International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes were used to identify trauma patients. A total of 64 721 patients were initially identified in the NHIRD. After applying the exclusion criteria, 20 009 patients were included in our statistical analysis.​Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe primary outcome measure was in-hospital mortality, and we analysed patients with different income levels and geographic regions. Multiple logistic regression was used to control for confounding variables.​ResultsIn univariate analysis, geographic disparities and low-income level were both risk factors for in-hospital mortality for patients with major torso trauma (p=0.002 and <0.001, respectively). However, in multivariate analysis, only a low-income level remained an independent risk factor for increased in-hospital mortality (p<0.001).​ConclusionEven with the NHI, wealth inequity still led to different outcomes for major torso trauma in Taiwan. Health policies must focus on this vulnerable group to eliminate inequality in trauma care.