Abbreviated Injury Scale Severity Research Articles

Bicycle helmets are associated with fewer and less severe head injuries and fewer neurosurgical procedures

PurposeThis study explores the protective capabilities of bicycle helmets on serious head injury among bicyclists hospitalized in a Norwegian level 1 trauma centre.MethodInformation on helmet use, demographic variables, Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) and surgical procedure codes was retrieved from the Oslo University Hospital Trauma Registry for patients with bicycle-related injuries from 2005 through 2016. Outcomes were serious head injury defined as maximum AIS severity score ≥ 3 in the AIS region Head, any cranial neurosurgical procedure, and 30-day mortality.ResultsA total of 1256 hospitalized bicyclists were included. The median age was 41 years (quartiles 26–53), 73% were male, 5.3% had severe pre-injury comorbidities, and 54% wore a helmet at the time of injury. Serious head injury occurred in 30%, 9% underwent a cranial neurosurgical procedure, and 30-day mortality was 2%. Compared to non-helmeted bicyclists, helmeted bicyclists were older (43 years, quartiles 27–54, vs. 38 years, quartiles 23–53, p = 0.05), less often crashed during night-time (21% vs. 38%, p < 0.001), less frequently had serious head injury (22% vs. 38%, OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.22–0.39), and less often underwent cranial neurosurgery (6% vs. 14%, OR 0.36, 95% CI 0.24–0.54). No statistically significant difference in 30-day mortality between the two groups was found (1.5% vs. 2.9%, OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.22–1.11).ConclusionHelmet use was associated with fewer and less severe head injuries and fewer neurosurgical procedures. This adds evidence to the protective capabilities of bicycle helmets.

A trauma expert consensus: Capabilities are required early to improve survivability from traumatic injury.

Mortality reviews examine US military fatalities resulting from traumatic injuries during combat operations. These reviews are essential to the evolution of the military trauma system to improve individual, unit, and system-level trauma care delivery and inform trauma system protocols and guidelines. This study identifies specific prehospital and hospital interventions with the potential to provide survival benefits. US Special Operations Command fatalities with battle injuries deemed potentially survivable (2001-2021) were extracted from previous mortality reviews. A military trauma review panel consisting of trauma surgeons, forensic pathologists, and prehospital and emergency medicine specialists conducted a methodical review to identify prehospital, hospital, and resuscitation interventions (e.g., laparotomy, blood transfusion) with the potential to have provided a survival benefit. Of 388 US Special Operations Command battle-injured fatalities, 100 were deemed potentially survivable. Of these (median age, 29 years; all male), 76.0% were injured in Afghanistan, and 75% died prehospital. Gunshot wounds were in 62.0%, followed by blast injury (37%), and blunt force injury (1.0%). Most had a Maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale severity classified as 4 (severe) (55.0%) and 5 (critical) (41.0%). The panel recommended 433 interventions (prehospital, 188; hospital, 315). The most recommended prehospital intervention was blood transfusion (95%), followed by finger/tube thoracostomy (47%). The most common hospital recommendations were thoracotomy and definitive vascular repair. Whole blood transfusion was assessed for each fatality: 74% would have required ≥10 U of blood, 20% would have required 5 to 10 U, 1% would have required 1 to 4 U, and 5% would not have required blood products to impact survival. Five may have benefited from a prehospital laparotomy. This study systematically identified capabilities needed to provide a survival benefit and examined interventions needed to inform trauma system efforts along the continuum of care. The determination was that blood transfusion and massive transfusion shortly after traumatic injury would impact survival the most. Expert Opinion; Level V.

Early Point-of-Care Thromboelastometry Reduces Mortality in Patients with Severe Trauma and Risk of Transfusion: An Analysis Based on the TraumaRegister DGU®.

Background: Thromboelastometry like ROTEM® is a point-of-care method used to assess the coagulation status of patients in a rapid manner being particularly useful in critical care settings, such as trauma, where quick and accurate assessment of coagulation can guide timely and appropriate treatment. Currently, this method is not yet comprehensively available with sparse data on its effectiveness in resuscitation rooms. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of early thromboelastometry on the probability of mass transfusions and mortality of severely injured patients. Methods: The TraumaRegister DGU® was retrospectively analyzed for severely injured patients (2011 until 2020) with information available regarding blood transfusions and Trauma-Associated Severe Hemorrhage (TASH) score components. Patients with an estimated risk of mass transfusion >2% were included in a matched-pair analysis. Cases with and without use of ROTEM® diagnostic were matched based on risk categories for mass transfusion. A total of 1722 patients with ROTEM® diagnostics could be matched with a non-ROTEM® patient with an identical risk category. Adult patients (≥16) admitted to a trauma center in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland with Maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale severity ≥3 were included. Results: A total of 83,798 trauma victims were identified after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. For 7740 of these patients, the use of ROTEM® was documented. The mean Injury Severity Score (ISS) in patients with ROTEM® was 24.3 compared to 19.7 in the non-ROTEM® group. The number of mass transfusions showed no significant difference (14.9% ROTEM® group vs. 13.4% non-ROTEM® group, p = 0.45). Coagulation management agents were given significantly more often in the ROTEM® subgroup. Mortality in the ROTEM® group was 4.1% less than expected (estimated mortality based on RISC II 34.6% vs. observed mortality 30.5% (n = 525)). In the non-ROTEM® group, observed mortality was 1.6% less than expected. Therefore, by using ROTEM® analysis, the expected mortality could be reduced by 2.5% (number needed to treat (NNT) 40; SMR of ROTEM® group: 1:0.88; SMR of non-ROTEM® group: 1:0.96; p = 0.081). Conclusions: Hemorrhage is still one of the leading causes of death of severely injured patients in the first hours after trauma. Early thromboelastometry can lead to a more targeted coagulation management, but is not yet widely available. This study demonstrated that ROTEM® was used for the more severely injured patients and that its use was associated with a less than expected mortality as well as a higher utilization of hemostatic products.

Settlement Is at the End-Common Trauma Scores Require a Critical Reassessment Due to the Possible Dynamics of Traumatic Brain Injuries in Patients' Clinical Course.

Background: Scientific studies on severely injured patients commonly utilize the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) and the Injury Severity Score (ISS) for injury assessment and to characterize trauma cohorts. However, due to potential deterioration (e.g., in the case of an increasing hemorrhage) during the clinical course, the assessment of injury severity in traumatic brain injury (TBI) can be challenging. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether and to what extent the worsening of TBI affects the AIS and ISS. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 80 polytrauma patients admitted to the trauma room of our level I trauma center with computed-tomography-confirmed TBI. The initial AIS, ISS, and Trauma and Injury Severity Score (TRISS) values were reevaluated after follow-up imaging. Results: A total of 37.5% of the patients showed a significant increase in AIShead (3.7 vs. 4.1; p = 0.002) and the ISS (22.9 vs. 26.7, p = 0.0497). These changes resulted in an eight percent reduction in their TRISS-predicted survival probability (74.82% vs. 66.25%, p = 0.1835). Conclusions: The dynamic nature of intracranial hemorrhage complicates accurate injury severity assessment using the AIS and ISS, necessitating consideration in clinical studies and registries to prevent systematic bias in patient selection and subsequent data analysis.

Prediction of prolonged length of stay on the intensive care unit in severely injured patients-a registry-based multivariable analysis.

Mortality is the primary outcome measure in severely injured trauma victims. However, quality indicators for survivors are rare. We aimed to develop and validate an outcome measure based on length of stay on the intensive care unit (ICU). The TraumaRegister DGU of the German Trauma Society (DGU) was used to identify 108,178 surviving patients with serious injuries who required treatment on ICU (2014-2018). In a first step, need for prolonged ICU stay, defined as 8 or more days, was predicted. In a second step, length of stay was estimated in patients with a prolonged stay. Data from the same trauma registry (2019-2022, n = 72,062) were used to validate the models derived with logistic and linear regression analysis. The mean age was 50 years, 70% were males, and the average Injury Severity Score was 16.2 points. Average/median length of stay on ICU was 6.3/2 days, where 78% were discharged from ICU within the first 7 days. Prediction of need for a prolonged ICU stay revealed 15 predictors among which injury severity (worst Abbreviated Injury Scale severity level), need for intubation, and pre-trauma condition were the most important ones. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.903 (95% confidence interval 0.900-0.905). Length of stay prediction in those with a prolonged ICU stay identified the need for ventilation and the number of injuries as the most important factors. Pearson's correlation of observed and predicted length of stay was 0.613. Validation results were satisfactory for both estimates. Length of stay on ICU is a suitable outcome measure in surviving patients after severe trauma if adjusted for severity. The risk of needing prolonged ICU care could be calculated in all patients, and observed vs. predicted rates could be used in quality assessment similar to mortality prediction. Length of stay prediction in those who require a prolonged stay is feasible and allows for further benchmarking.

The new injury severity score underestimates true injury severity in a resource-constrained setting

BackgroundThe new injury severity score (NISS) is widely used within trauma outcomes research. NISS is a composite anatomic severity score derived from the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) protocol. It has been postulated that NISS underestimates trauma severity in resource-constrained settings, which may contribute to erroneous research conclusions. We formally compare NISS to an expert panel's assessment of injury severity in South Africa. MethodsThis was a retrospective chart review of adult trauma patients seen in a tertiary trauma center. Randomly selected medical records were reviewed by an AIS-certified rater who assigned an AIS severity score for each anatomic injury. A panel of five South African trauma experts independently reviewed the same charts and assigned consensus severity scores using a similar scale for comparability. NISS was calculated as the sum of the squares of the three highest assigned severity scores per patient. The difference in average NISS between rater and expert panel was assessed using a multivariable linear mixed effects regression adjusted for patient demographics, injury mechanism and type. ResultsOf 49 patients with 190 anatomic injuries, the majority were male (n = 38), the average age was 36 (range 18–80), with either a penetrating (n = 23) or blunt (n = 26) injury, resulting in 4 deaths. Mean NISS was 16 (SD 15) for the AIS rater compared to 28 (SD 20) for the expert panel. Adjusted for potential confounders, AIS rater NISS was on average 11 points (95 % CI: 7, 15) lower than the expert panel NISS (p < 0.001). Injury type was an effect modifier, with the difference between the AIS rater and expert panel being greater in penetrating versus blunt injury (16 vs. 7; p = 0.04). Crush injury was not well-captured by AIS protocol. ConclusionNISS may under-estimate the ‘true’ injury severity in a middle-income country trauma hospital, particularly for patients with penetrating injury.

Predictors of outcomes in geriatric patients with moderate traumatic brain injury after ground level falls.

The elderly population constitutes one of the fastest-growing demographic groups globally. Within this population, mild to moderate traumatic brain injuries (TBI) resulting from ground level falls (GLFs) are prevalent and pose significant challenges. Between 50 and 80% of TBIs in older individuals are due to GLFs. These incidents result in more severe outcomes and extended recovery periods for the elderly, even when controlling for injury severity. Given the increasing incidence of such injuries it becomes essential to identify the key factors that predict complications and in-hospital mortality. Therefore, the aim of this study was to pinpoint the top predictors of complications and in-hospital mortality in geriatric patients who have experienced a moderate TBI following a GLF. Data were obtained from the American College of Surgeons' Trauma Quality Improvement Program database. A moderate TBI was defined as a head AIS ≤ 3 with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) 9-13, and an AIS ≤ 2 in all other body regions. Potential predictors of complications and in-hospital mortality were included in a logistic regression model and ranked using the permutation importance method. A total of 7,489 patients with a moderate TBI were included in the final analyses. 6.5% suffered a complication and 6.2% died prior to discharge. The top five predictors of complications were the need for neurosurgical intervention, the Revised Cardiac Risk Index, coagulopathy, the spine abbreviated injury severity scale (AIS), and the injury severity score. The top five predictors of mortality were head AIS, age, GCS on admission, the need for neurosurgical intervention, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. When predicting both complications and in-hospital mortality in geriatric patients who have suffered a moderate traumatic brain injury after a ground level fall, the most important factors to consider are the need for neurosurgical intervention, cardiac risk, and measures of injury severity. This may allow for better identification of at-risk patients, and at the same time resulting in a more equitable allocation of resources.

Factors Associated with Discharge to Skilled Nursing Facility Following Gunshot Wounds

IntroductionFirearm injury is a public health crisis. Most victims are minorities in underserved neighborhoods. Measuring firearm injury by mortality underestimates its impact, as most victims survive to discharge. This study was done to determine if race and insurance status are associated with discharge disposition for gunshot wound (GSW)–related trauma. MethodsUsing the 2019 Trauma Quality Improvement Program database, we identified GSW patients with Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) = 1-3. Exclusion criteria included patients who died in hospital and routine home discharge. We compared discharge patterns of patients based on demographics (age, gender, race, ethnicity, payor, AIS, hospital designation, and length of stay [LOS]) and injury severity. Multivariable logistic regression models identified factors associated with discharge disposition. ResultsOur sample included 2437 patients with GSWs. On univariable analysis, Black patients were more likely to discharge to home with home health (64.1% Black versus 34.7% White; P < 0.001). White patients were more likely to discharge to skilled nursing facility (SNF) (51.4% White versus 44.6% Black; P < 0.001). Controlling for age, race, Latin ethnicity, primary payor, LOS, AIS severity, and injury severity score factors independently associated with discharge to SNF included age (0.0462, P < 0.001), Medicaid (1.136, P < 0.0003), Medicare (1.452, P < 0.001), and LOS (0.03745, P < 0.001). ConclusionsPostacute care following traumatic injuries is essential to recovery. Black GSW victims are more likely to be discharged to home health than White patients, who are more likely to be discharged to SNF. Targeted programs to reduce barriers to appropriate aftercare are necessary to eliminate this bias and improve the care of underserved populations.

Pediatric Trauma and Trauma Team Activation in a Swiss Pediatric Emergency Department: An Observational Cohort Study.

Trauma is one of the most common causes of death in childhood, but data on severely injured Swiss children are absent from existing national registries. Our aim was to analyze trauma activations and the profiles of critically injured children at a tertiary, non-academic Swiss pediatric emergency department (PED). In the absence of a national pediatric trauma database, this information may help to guide the design of infrastructure, processes within organizations, training, and policies. A retrospective analysis of pediatric trauma patients in a prospective resuscitation database over a 2-year period. Critically injured trauma patients under the age of 16 years were included. Patients were described with established triage and injury severity scales. Statistical evaluation included logistic regression analysis. A total of 82 patients matched one or more of the study inclusion criteria. The most frequent age group was 12-15 years, and 27% were female. Trauma team activation (TTA) occurred with 49 patients (59.8%). Falls were the most frequent mechanism of injury, both overall and for major trauma. Road-traffic-related injuries had the highest relative risk of major trauma. In the multivariate analysis, patients receiving medicalized transport were more likely to trigger a TTA, but there was no association between TTA and age, gender, or Injury Severity Score (ISS). Nineteen patients (23.2%) sustained major trauma with an ISS > 15. Injuries of Abbreviated Injury Scale severity 3 or greater were most frequent to the head, followed by abdomen, chest, and extremities. The overall mortality rate in the cohort was 2.4%. Conclusions: Major trauma presentations only comprise a small proportion of the total patient load in the PED, and trauma team activation does not correlate with injury severity. Low exposure to high-acuity patients highlights the importance of deliberate learning and simulation for all professionals in the PED. Our findings indicate that high priority should be given to training in the management of severely injured children in the PED. The leading major trauma mechanisms were preventable, which should prompt further efforts in injury prevention.

Electric scooter–related accidents: a possible protective effect of helmet use on the head injury severity

Despite electric scooter use has proliferated in Italy since 2019, actionable data regarding injury incidence and patterns associated with electric scooter accidents are limited. This study aims at analyzing the rate, clinical, and demographic features of electric scooter accidents accessed to the Emergency Department (ED) of Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCSS (Rome, Italy). This retrospective study included all patients older than 18 years riding an electric scooter in the ED from June 2019 to April 2022. Personal data, injury circumstances, helmet use, and health data were collected. Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) codes of all diagnoses were recorded, and the Injury Severity Score (ISS) was calculated for each patient. The analysis includes 92 patients admitted to the ED due to an e-scooter accident during the study period, with an increase in years. Thirty-two patients presented bone fractures especially concerning the extremities and the face districts. The median Injury Severity Score in the study cohort was 3, with the highest AIS represented by AIS Pelvic-Extremity and AIS External. Moreover, statistical significance was found between AIS Head-Neck and severity of trauma. E-scooters have become a familiar sight in cities worldwide recently, with many new companies renting them for use. But their arrival has also brought new safety concerns. Although most injuries reported are minor, the meager rate of helmet use is critical. Implementing compulsory helmet use for electric scooters for all ages could be a protective factor for being patient with head trauma on urban streets.

79 is the new 70: Left digit bias in craniotomy

BackgroundLeft digit bias is the psychological phenomenon in which the difference between values is perceived as larger due to the value of the first digit. For example, an 80 year old may be perceived as much older than a 79 year old. We sought to determine if left digit bias is present in craniotomy for elderly patients with traumatic brain injury. MethodsPatients aged 69, 70, 79, and 80 with traumatic brain injury and an abbreviated injury scale severity of a minimum of 3 were included from the National Trauma Data Bank from the years 2012-2019. 38,908 patients were included. A Chi-squared Test was performed to compare the percentage of patients undergoing craniotomy. Results79 year olds had higher craniotomy rates than 80 year olds (7.8% vs 6.4%, P < 0.001). There was no difference in craniotomy rates between 69 and 70 year olds (8.2% vs 7.8%, P < 0.2622). ConclusionThis study suggests the presence of left digit bias in the decision to perform a craniotomy in patients aged 79 vs 80 with traumatic brain injury.

The use of head computerized tomography in patients with GCS 15 following trauma: Less is more

IntroductionComputerized tomography (CT) imaging is a standard part of traumatic brain injury (TBI) evaluation but not all patients require it after mild head injury. Given the increasing incidence of TBI in the United States, there is an urgent need to better characterize CT head imaging utilization in evaluating trauma patients, especially patients at low risk of requiring intervention, such as those presenting with a normal GCS. MethodsWe analyzed the 2017–2019 National Trauma Databank using ICD-10 codes to identify patients who received a head CT. We used Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) scores to identify patients with a moderate to severe head injury defined as an AIS severity ≥ 3. Procedural TBI management was defined as having an intracranial monitor or operative decompression. We used a modified Poisson modeling to identify risk factors for a moderate/severe TBI and risk factors for undergoing procedural management among patients with head CT and GCS 15. ResultsOf 2,850,036 patients, 1,502,039 (52.7%) had a head CT. Among patients who had a head CT, 1,078,093 patients (74.9%) had a GCS 15 on arrival. Of this group, only 16.6% (n = 176,431) had a moderate/severe head injury. For those with moderate/severe head injury, 6.0% (n = 10,544/176,431) of patients underwent procedural head injury management. Risk factors for undergoing procedural head injury management included: isolated head injury (RR 2.43, 95% CI 2.34, 2.53), male sex (RR 1.73, 95% CI 1.67, 1.80), age > 50 years (RR 1.39 95% CI 1.32, 1.47), falls (RR 1.28, 95% CI 1.22, 1.35), and the use of anti-coagulation (RR 1.16, 95% CI 1.11, 1.21). ConclusionFew patients had moderate/severe head injury when presenting with a GCS 15. However, patients ≥ 50 years, men, and those who suffered falls were at higher risk. Anti-coagulation use was not associated with moderate/severe head injury but did increase the risk of procedural TBI management. Given the cost and associated radiation, reducing CT utilization for younger patients while using a more liberal head CT strategy for high-risk patients may provide substantial patient value.

All body region injuries are not equal: Differences in pediatric discharge functional status based on Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) body regions and severity scores

PurposeFunctional outcomes have been proposed for assessing quality of pediatric trauma care. Outcomes assessments often rely on Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) severity scores to adjust for injury characteristics, but the relationship between AIS severity and functional impairment is unknown. This study's primary aim was to quantify functional impairment associated with increasing AIS severity scores within body regions. The secondary aim was to assess differences in impairment between body regions based on AIS severity. MethodsChildren with serious (AIS≥ 3) isolated body region injuries enrolled in a multicenter prospective study were analyzed. The primary outcome was functional status at discharge measured using the Functional Status Scale (FSS). Discharge FSS was compared (1) within each body region across increasing AIS severity scores, and (2) between body regions for injuries with matching AIS scores. ResultsThe study included 266 children, with 16% having abnormal FSS at discharge. Worse FSS was associated with increasing AIS severity only for spine injuries. Abnormal FSS was observed in a greater proportion of head injury patients with a severely impaired initial Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) (GCS< 9) compared to those with a higher GCS score (43% versus 9%; p < 0.01). Patients with AIS 3 extremity and severe head injuries had a higher proportion of abnormal FSS at discharge than AIS 3 abdomen or non-severe head injuries. ConclusionsAIS severity does not account for variability in discharge functional impairment within or between body regions. Benchmarking based on functional status assessment requires clinical factors in addition to AIS severity for appropriate risk adjustment. Level of evidence1 (Prognostic and Epidemiological).

What is the Effect of COVID-19 Social Distancing on Oral and Maxillofacial Trauma Related to Domestic Violence?

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented crisis during which social distancing policies have been enacted and domestic violence (DV) has increased.1 Among victims of DV, trauma to the oral and maxillofacial region is 1 of the most common injury patterns.2 The purpose of this study was to understand the impact of social distancing policies on the incidence and severity of oral and maxillofacial trauma (OMFT) secondary to interpersonal violence (IPV) and DV.The authors designed a retrospective cohort study and enrolled a sample of subjects who presented to Harborview Medical Center (HMC), an urban Level I trauma center for the evaluation and management of OMFT between January 1 and December 31 in the years 2018 through 2020. The primary predictor variable was evaluation of OMFT during a period with (2020, investigational group) or without (2018, 2019, control group) social distancing policies in place. The primary outcome variables were the mechanism of injury, defined as IPV, DV, abbreviated injury scale (AIS), and the injury severity score (ISS). Univariate and bivariate analyses were performed with a statistical significance at P <.05.Overall, 8031 subjects presented with OMFT; 800 met inclusion criteria, 711 (89%) IPV versus 89 (11%) DV. IPV mean age (years): 39±15, 39±15, 38±15 in 2018, 2019, 2020 respectively (P = .66). DV mean age (years): 21±20, 17±22, 15±18 in 2018, 2019, 2020, respectively (P = .54). DV mean age was significantly younger than IPV (P < .001) per year. IPV subjects were predominantly male, 84%, 86%, 91% in 2018, 2019, 2020, respectively. For DV, males were more evenly matched to females; 50%, 59%, 53% in 2018, 2019, 2020, respectively. The majority of these males were pediatric and under 18. Caucasians were the majority ethnicity in both IPV and DV groups. While not significant, there was a decrease in percentage of Caucasians presenting for DV in 2020 (DV: 82%, 72%, 60% in 2018, 2019, 2020, respectively [P = .15]) (IPV: 57%, 60%, 56% in 2018, 2019, 2020, respectively [P = .72]).Subjects presenting with OMFT secondary to IPV was unchanged during social distancing (n = 220 in 2020) than without (2018: n = 249; 2019: n = 242) (P = .94). On average, those in 2020 with IPV had no difference in severity of OMFT; mean AIS =1.9±1.5, 1.9±1.5, 2.1±1.5 in 2018, 2019, 2020, respectively (P = .35) and no difference in overall injury severity: mean ISS = 10.7±8.3, 11.8±10.2, 12.4±10.7 in 2018, 2019, 2020, respectively (P = .14).Subjects presenting with OMFT secondary to DV were no different during social distancing (n = 32 in 2020) than without (2018: n = 29; 2019: n = 28; P = .49). A difference in AIS severity of OMFT was shown between groups: mean AIS =1.6±1.5, 2.6±1.5,1.9±1.7 in 2018, 2019, 2020, respectively (P = .05). Those who presented in 2020 with DV had an insignificant decrease in severity of OMFT compared to 2019 (P = .07) and no difference with 2018 (P = .58). There was no difference in overall injury severity: mean ISS = 9.7±6.9, 12.6±7.9, 11.8±10.9 in 2018, 2019, 2020, respectively (P = .42).The COVID-19 pandemic did not change the number of OMFT cases secondary to either IPV or DV. The severity of injury measured by AIS was significant between 2018 and 2019 controls, but insignificant when comparing either 2018 or 2019 to the investigational group (2020). The ISS was unchanged in all groups. Subjects of DV were consistently younger in age irrespective of COVID-19 social distancing measures. Further studies are recommended for this vulnerable group.

Long-Term Outcomes after Pediatric Injury: Results of the Assessment of Functional Outcomes and Health-Related Quality of Life after Pediatric Trauma Study

Disability and impaired health-related quality of life can persist for months among injured children. Previous studies of long-term outcomes have focused mainly on children with specific injury types rather than those with multiple injured body regions. This study's objective was to determine the long-term functional status and health-related quality of life after serious pediatric injury, and to evaluate the associations of these outcomes with features available at hospital discharge. We conducted a prospective observational study at 7 Level I pediatric trauma centers of children treated for at least 1 serious (Abbreviated Injury Scale severity 3 or higher) injury. Patients were sampled to increase the representation of less frequently injured body regions and multiple injured body regions. Six-month functional status was measured using the Functional Status Scale (FSS) and health-related quality of life using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory. Among 323 injured children with complete discharge and follow-up assessments, 6-month FSS score was abnormal in 33 patients (10.2%)-16 with persistent impairments and 17 previously normal at discharge. Increasing levels of impaired discharge FSS score were associated with impaired FSS and lower Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory scores at 6-month follow-up. Additional factors on multivariable analysis associated with 6-month FSS impairment included older age, penetrating injury type, severe head injuries, and spine injuries, and included older age for lower 6-month Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory scores. Older age and discharge functional status are associated with long-term impairment of functional status and health-related quality of life. Although most seriously injured children return to normal, ongoing disability and reduced health-related quality of life remained 6 months after injury. Our findings support long-term assessments as standard practice for evaluating the health impacts of serious pediatric injury.

Interobserver variability of injury severity assessment in polytrauma patients: does the anatomical region play a role?

BackgroundThe Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) and Injury Severity Score (ISS) are widely used to assess trauma patients. In this study, the interobserver variability of the injury severity assessment for severely injured patients was analyzed based on different injured anatomical regions, and the various demographic backgrounds of the observers.MethodsA standardized questionnaire was presented to surgical experts and participants of clinical polytrauma courses. It contained medical information and initial X-rays/CT-scans of 10 cases of severely injured patients. Participants estimated the severity of each injury based on the AIS. Interobserver variability for the AIS, ISS, and New Injury Severity Score (NISS) was calculated by employing the statistical method of Krippendorff's α coefficient.ResultsOverall, 54 participants were included. The major contributing medical specialties were orthopedic trauma surgery (N = 36, 67%) and general surgery (N = 13, 24%). The measured interobserver variability in the assessment of the overall injury severity was high (α ISS: 0.33 / α NISS: 0.23). Moreover, there were differences in the interobserver variability of the maximum AIS (MAIS) depending on the anatomical region: αhead and neck: 0.06, αthorax: 0.45, αabdomen: 0.27 and αextremities: 0.55.ConclusionsInterobserver agreement concerning injury severity assessment appears to be low among clinicians. We also noted marked differences in variability according to injury anatomy. The study shows that the assessment of injury severity is also highly variable between experts in the field. This implies the need for appropriate education to improve the accuracy of trauma evaluation in the respective trauma registries.

Advancing Prehospital Combat Casualty Evacuation: Patients Amenable to Aeromedical Evacuation via Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

The U.S. military currently utilizes unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for reconnaissance and attack missions; however, as combat environment technology advances, there is the increasing likelihood of UAV utilization in prehospital aeromedical evacuation. Although some combat casualties require life-saving interventions (LSIs) during medical evacuation, many do not. Our objective was to describe patients transported from the point of injury to the first level of care and characterize differences between patients who received LSIs en route and those who did not. We conducted a retrospective review of the records of traumatically injured patients evacuated between January 2011 and March 2014. We compared patient characteristics, complications, and outcomes based on whether they had an LSI performed en route (LSI vs. No LSI). We also constructed logistic regression models to determine which characteristics predict uneventful flights (no en route LSI or complications). We examined 1,267 patient records; 47% received an LSI en route. Most patients (72%) sustained a blast injury and injuries to the extremities and head. Over 78% experienced complications en route; the LSI group had higher rates of complications compared to the No LSI group. Logistic regression showed that having a blunt injury or the highest abbreviated injury scale (AIS) severity score in the head/neck region are significant predictors of having an uneventful flight. Approximately half of casualties evaluated in our study did not receive an LSI during transport and may have been transported safely by UAV. Having a blunt injury or the highest AIS severity score in the head/neck region significantly predicted an uneventful flight.

The majority of major amputations after resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta are associated with preadmission trauma

ObjectiveResuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) is a potentially life-saving intervention. However, recent reports of associations with limb loss and mortality have called its safety into question. We aimed to evaluate patient and hospital characteristics associated with major amputation and in-hospital mortality among patients undergoing REBOA for trauma. MethodsThe National Trauma Data Bank (2015-2017) was queried for patients presenting to trauma centers and treated with REBOA. We included REBOA performed on hospital day 1 in patients who survived 6 or more hours from presentation. Univariable and multivariable analyses evaluated associations with major amputation and in-hospital mortality. ResultsA total of 316 patients underwent REBOA and survived in the acute period after presentation. Overall, mean age was 45 ± 20 years and the majority were male (73%) and White (56%). Most patients presented to level I trauma centers (72%) after blunt injuries (79%) with an average Injury Severity Score (ISS) of 31 ± 15, indicating major trauma. In 15 patients (5%), there were 18 major amputations—7 above knee and 11 below knee. A subgroup of 11 amputations were either traumatic amputations (73%) or mangled limbs requiring amputation within 24 hours (27%). Of the remaining amputations, 71% were associated with ipsilateral vascular or orthopedic lower extremity injuries of serious to severe Abbreviated Injury Scale severity. Comparing patients with amputations with those without amputations, there were no significant differences in patient demographics, comorbidities, or hospital characteristics. During hospitalization, patients requiring amputation more frequently received open peripheral vascular interventions (40% vs 10%; P = .002), underwent similar numbers of endovascular interventions (6.7% vs 4.7%; P = .5), and more often developed compartment syndrome (13% vs 2%; P = .04). Overall, there were 110 deaths (35%). The major amputation prevalence was similar between patients who died vs those who survived (3.6% vs 5.3%; P = .5). In multivariable analysis, prehospital cardiac arrest (odds ratio [OR], 8.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.47-48.66; P = .02), penetrating vs blunt trauma (OR, 5.5; 95% CI, 1.05-28.82; P = .04), decreased Glasgow Coma Scale score (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.05-1.32; P = .01), older age (OR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.03-1.10; P < .001), and increased Injury Severity Score (OR, 1.05; 95% CI, 1.0-1.1; P = .03) were associated with higher mortality. ConclusionsThe majority of major amputations in patients undergoing REBOA were secondary to the initial traumatic mechanism. Injury type and severity, as well as initial hemodynamic derangements, are associated with mortality after REBOA. Despite concerns about prohibitive limb complications of REBOA, baseline injuries seem to be the primary cause of limb loss, but further prospective analysis is needed.

Characterization of fatal injuries in oil and gas industry-related helicopter accidents in the Gulf of Mexico, 2004\u20132014

BackgroundTransportation events are the most common cause of offshore fatalities in the oil and gas industry, of which helicopter accidents comprise the majority. Little is known about injury distributions in civilian helicopter crashes, and knowledge of injury distributions could focus research and recommendations for enhanced injury prevention and post-crash survival. This study describes the distribution of injuries among fatalities in Gulf of Mexico oil and gas industry-related helicopter accidents, provides a detailed injury classification to identify potential areas of enhanced safety design, and describes relevant safety features for mitigation of common injuries.MethodsDecedents of accidents during 2004–2014 were identified, and autopsy reports were requested from responsible jurisdictions. Documented injuries were coded using the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS), and frequency and proportion of injuries by AIS body region and severity were calculated. Injuries were categorized into detailed body regions to target areas for prevention.ResultsA total of 35 autopsies were coded, with 568 injuries documented. Of these, 23.4% were lower extremity, 22.0% were thorax, 13.6% were upper extremity, and 13.4% were face injuries. Minor injuries were most prevalent in the face, neck, upper and lower extremities, and abdomen. Serious or worse injuries were most prevalent in the thorax (53.6%), spine (50.0%), head (41.7%), and external/other regions (75.0%). The most frequent injuries by detailed body regions were thoracic organ (23.0%), thoracic skeletal (13.3%), abdominal organ (9.6%), and leg injuries (7.4%). Drowning occurred in 13 (37.1%) of victims, and drowning victims had a higher proportion of moderate brain injuries (7.8%) and lower number of documented injuries (3.8) compared with non-drowning victims (2.9 and 9.4%, respectively).ConclusionsKnowledge of injury distributions focuses and prioritizes the need for additional safety features not routinely used in helicopters. The most frequent injuries occurred in the thorax and lower extremity regions. Future research requires improved and expanded data, including collection of detailed data to allow characterization of both injury mechanism and distribution. Improved safety systems including airbags and helmets should be implemented and evaluated for their impact on injuries and fatalities.

Real-World Practice Patterns Favor Minimally Invasive Methods over Ureteral Reconstruction in the Initial Treatment of Severe Blunt Ureteral Trauma: A National Trauma Data Bank Analysis.

We utilized the National Trauma Data Bank® database to report practice patterns in managing blunt traumatic ureteral injuries and assess the consistency with current guidelines/literature. Between 2007 and 2016 all National Trauma Data Bank database patients with blunt traumatic ureteral injuries were identified using ICD-9 and Abbreviated Injury Scale codes. Penetrating trauma and missing data were excluded. Patients were unstable if Injury Severity Score was above 15 or systolic blood pressure was 90 mmHg or less. Abbreviated Injury Scale severity score 2 or less was a low severity ureteral injury. Treatment options were minimally invasive methods or ureteral reconstruction. Patients who underwent laparotomy for associated injuries were identified. Chi-square, Fisher exact or 2-tailed t-test was utilized to evaluate differences. Univariable logistic regression identified independent variables that favored a specific treatment. A total of 147 blunt traumatic ureteral injuries were used for analysis. Of the patients 98 (66.7%) were unstable and 51 (34.7%) had a high severity ureteral injury. Patients with low and high severity ureteral injuries were treated more frequently with minimally invasive methods over ureteral reconstruction. Laparotomy for associated injuries resulted in a higher frequency of ureteral reconstruction (15 of 55, 27.3%) vs laparotomy for ureteral reconstruction alone (9 of 55, 16.4%; p=0.0012). On univariable analysis patients who underwent exploratory laparotomy or underwent an associated injury repair that facilitated retroperitoneal exploration had significantly higher odds of receiving ureteral reconstruction over minimally invasive methods. Contrary to guidelines, practice patterns favor treating severe blunt traumatic ureteral injuries with minimally invasive methods over ureteral reconstruction. Ureteral reconstruction is favored when patients undergo laparotomy for associated injuries.