Triage using the Emergency Severity Index (ESI) and seven versus three vital signs

Purpose

The aim of this study was to compare sensitivity and validity of the emergency severity index (ESI) using 3 vital signs vs. the modified ESI (mESI) with 7 vital signs.

Methods

This prospective, observational study comprised all patients without trauma (>18 years old), presenting between 1 September 2014 and 1 October 2014 from 08:00–16:00 h, and having ESI triage scores levels 3, 4, and 5. Different from the ESI, 7 vital signs for patients in levels 3, 4, and 5 were determined. When the result revealed an abnormality in at least one of the 7 vital signs, these patients were designated as level 2 and the mESI triage was applied to them.

Results

A total of 4536 patients were included in the study. Comparing the hospitalized patient group and the patients treated as outpatients according to the ESI and mESI levels, the ESI and the mESI level median values were 4 (3–4) and 3 (2–4), respectively, and those of patients treated on an outpatient basis were 4 (4–5) and 4 (3–5). A significant difference was observed between the two groups with regard to both the ESI and the mESI scores (p?<?0.001). Furthermore, when the ESI and the mESI were compared with regard to the sensitivity and the reliability in determining the patients for hospitalization, a significant difference was determined favoring ESI [ROC curve: area under the curve mESI: 0.690, 95?% confidence interval (Cl) 0.666–0.713; ESI 0.753, ?95?% Cl 0.733–0.774; p?<?0.001].

Conclusion

The ESI, in which 3 vital signs are measured in order to distinguish only level 2 and 3 patients, is an adequate and reliable triage system.

     

Emergency central venous catheterization during resuscitation of trauma patients.

Central venous catheterization during resuscitation of trauma patients remains controversial. Such catheterizations performed at the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School at Camden Cooper Hospital/University Medical Center (Camden, NJ) trauma center for the period January 1, 1988 to December 31, 1989 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients with underlying hemothorax, pneumothorax, or resuscitative thoracotomy were excluded. There were 269 catheters inserted using the Seldinger technique. Catheters were placed via the internal jugular or subclavian veins by attending traumatologists or emergency medicine and surgical house staff under direct attending supervision. Of 238 patients ages 6 to 90 years, 156 were men. Mean Trauma Score and Injury Severity Score were 9 and 30, respectively. Patients were divided into two groups: patients undergoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation or in shock (systolic bp less than 90) during resuscitation (Group 1: n - 161); and patients not in shock (Group 2: n - 77). Thirty patients (Group 1a) expired in the resuscitation area. The remainder (Group 1b) with 150 catheterizations had 12 complications (8%): pneumothorax (8), hemothorax (1), and malposition (3). Group 2, with 80 catheterizations, had 6 complications (7.5%): pneumothorax (4), hematoma (1), and malposition (1). The complication rate for patients surviving the resuscitation (230 catheterizations) was 7.8 per cent. There were no catheter-related deaths. In conclusion, emergency central venous catheterization during resuscitation of trauma patients carries a relatively low risk of serious complications when performed by experienced physicians.     

Emergency thoracotomy: appropriate use in the resuscitation of trauma patients

The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of emergency thoracotomy in our institution in an effort to determine whether this procedure is both beneficial and cost effective in blunt and/or penetrating trauma. We conducted a retrospective review of charts and coroner's reports. Our setting was a Level I trauma center in a tertiary-care facility. We examined the cases of trauma patients presenting to the trauma center over a 2-year period. Of 2490 patients who presented to the emergency department over the study period 41 underwent early thoracotomy. Twelve of these were excluded from the study because their cases were not truly emergent. Of the remaining 29 ten were admitted for penetrating injuries and 19 for blunt injuries. The average Injury Severity Scores for penetrating and blunt injuries were 30 and 40 respectively. There were four blunt trauma patients who died in the emergency department, 15 went to the operating room, and five who survived to go to the intensive care unit. All blunt trauma patients requiring emergency thoracotomy died within 9 days of presentation. Of the ten penetrating wound patients two died in the emergency department, four died in the operating room, and four went to the intensive care unit after surgery. One of the four patients who went to the intensive care unit died approximately 6 days after injury. The other three patients survived and are now living normal productive lives. All survivors of penetrating trauma who required emergency thoracotomy had their procedure performed in the operating room. Overall survival rates for penetrating and blunt trauma were 30 and 0 per cent respectively. Pericardial tamponade was found in 50 per cent of the penetrating trauma patients (two of the three survivors) and four of 19 of the blunt trauma patients. This reinforces the importance of a prompt pericardiotomy upon opening the chest. At our institution the algorithm for emergency thoracotomy is liberal and is not cost effective for blunt trauma. We need to re-evaluate our decision-making process concerning the use of emergency thoracotomy especially in the blunt trauma patient. The review also shows the importance of pericardiotomy when performing an emergency thoracotomy.     

Orthopaedic assessment unit: a service model for the delivery of orthopaedic trauma care in a major trauma centre during the global pandemic (COVID-19)

IntroductionWe describe a new service model, the Orthopaedic Assessment Unit (OAU), designed to provide care for trauma patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients without COVID-19 symptoms and isolated musculoskeletal injuries were redirected to the OAU.MethodsWe prospectively reviewed patients throughput during the peak of the global pandemic (7 May 2020 to 7 June 2020) and compared with our historic service provision (7 May 2019 to 7 June 2019). The Mann–Whitney and Fisher Exact tests were used to test the statistical significance of data.ResultsA total of 1,147 patients were seen, with peak attendances between 11am and 2pm; 96% of all referrals were seen within 4h. The majority of patients were seen by orthopaedic registrars (52%) and nurse practitioners (44%). The majority of patients suffered from sprains and strains (39%), followed by fractures (22%) and wounds (20%); 73% of patients were discharged on the same day, 15% given follow up, 8% underwent surgery and 3% were admitted but did not undergo surgery. Our volume of trauma admissions and theatre cases decreased by 22% and 17%, respectively (p=0.058; 0.139). There was a significant reduction of virtual fracture clinic referrals after reconfiguration of services (p<0.001).ConclusionsRapid implementation of a specialist OAU during a pandemic can provide early definitive trauma care while exceeding national waiting time standards. The fall in trauma attendances was lower than anticipated. The retention of orthopaedic staff in the department to staff the unit and maintain a high standard of care is imperative.     

Epidemiology of pediatric trauma during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic

Background/purposeWe aimed to describe the epidemiology of trauma activations and variations in injury patterns, injury severity, and hospital length-of-stay for injured children in Los Angeles (LA) County during the coronavirus-disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study of children aged < 18-years evaluated in 15 trauma centers from 2019 to 2020 and entered in the LA County trauma registry. We defined 01/01/2019–03/18/2020 as pre-pandemic and 03/19/2020–12/31/2020 as the pandemic period. Our primary outcome was pediatric trauma activations. We analyzed demographic and clinical data, including types and severity of injuries sustained. We conducted unadjusted bivariate analyzes of injury patterns between periods. Segmented linear regression models were used to test rates (per 100,000 LA County children) of trauma activations pre-pandemic versus the pandemic period.ResultsWe studied 4399 children with trauma activations, 2695 of which occurred pre-pandemic and 1701 in the pandemic period. Motor vehicle collisions, gunshot wounds, and burns increased during the pandemic (all p-values< 0.05), while sports injuries decreased (p < 0.001). Median injury severity scores (p = 0.323) and Glasgow Coma Scales (p = 0.558) did not differ between periods, however mortality (p = 0.023) decreased during the pandemic. Segmented linear regression estimates demonstrated that rates of trauma activations pre-pandemic were similar to the pandemic period (p = 0.384).ConclusionPediatric trauma activations in LA County did not significantly differ during the COVID-19 pandemic, but types and severity of injuries varied between pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. With lockdown restrictions being lifted and novel SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating, our investigation describes this recent epidemiologic phenomenon to aid future preparation for healthcare systems.Level of evidenceLevel IIIType of studyRetrospective cross-sectional study     

The impact of etomidate on mortality in trauma patients

Introduction

Etomidate has a neutral hemodynamic profile which has made it an attractive medication for emergent intubation. Despite theoretical advantages of etomidate administration in the trauma patient, there are incomplete data to support its use. This study examined the association of etomidate use for emergent intubation in traumatic illness with patient mortality.

Methods

This is a historical cohort study using the Nova Scotia Trauma Registry. It included all major adult trauma patients who required tracheal intubation at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, Canada from January 23, 2000 to March 25, 2012. Prospectively recorded data were analyzed, including patient demographics, presence of comorbidities, trauma specific variables, admission and discharge vitals, length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital, mechanical ventilation-free days, and mortality. Associations between the use of etomidate and 28-day mortality are presented as odds ratios. Multivariable logistic regression models were created adjusting for age, injury severity score (ISS), sex, comorbidities, presence of traumatic brain injury, and injury type. The effects of etomidate on other relevant outcome variables were assessed using unpaired Student’s t-tests.

Results

Three hundred eight patients were included in the study, and there were 42 deaths. Patients receiving etomidate were similar to those who did not, including ISS and pre-intubation blood pressure. The 28-day mortality was 18.7% in the etomidate group and 11.1% in the non-etomidate group (odds ratio = 1.85; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.96 to 3.57; P = 0.07). After adjustment for age, female sex, ISS, and comorbidity, the odds ratio was 1.94 (95% CI 0.87 to 4.37; P = 0.11). There were no differences between the two groups in ICU length of stay, hospital length of stay, or number of ventilation-free days.

Conclusion

The association between use of a single dose of etomidate for emergency tracheal intubation in the trauma patient and mortality is inconclusive. Etomidate administration should be used with caution in trauma patients requiring tracheal intubation. Further data are required to determine the safety and risk-benefit of etomidate use in this patient population.     

Foot and ankle trauma management during the COVID-19 pandemic: Experiences from a major trauma unit

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a paradigm shift in clinical practice, particularly in ways in which healthcare is accessed by patients and delivered by healthcare practitioners. Many of these changes have been serially modified in adaptation to growing service demands and department provision capacity. We evaluated the impact of the pandemic on the foot and ankle service at our trauma unit, assessing whether these adaptations to practice were justifiable, successful and sustainable for the future. This was a single-centre, retrospective cohort study analysing the patient care pathway from admission to discharge, for two pre-defined timeframes: Phase 0 (pre-lockdown phase) and Phase 1 (lockdown phase). Patients were split into stable and unstable injuries depending on their fracture pattern. The follow-up modality and duration were evaluated. Trauma throughput for the equivalent timeframe in 2019 was also analysed for comparison. There were 106 unstable fractures and 100 stable fractures in 2020.78 interventional procedures were performed on 72 patients with unstable fractures in Phase-1. Close contact casting was performed on 13 patients at presentation in the ED. Selective patients underwent partial fixation in theatre, which still provided adequate stability. 35% of patients with a stable fracture were discharged directly from the ED with written advice from a review letter. The treatment modality in selective patients, particularly the vulnerable should be carefully assessed. Interventions performed at presentation often negate the need for admission. Partial fixation reduces intraoperative time and surgical insult. Integrating telemedicine into the care pathway, particularly for stable ankle fractures reduces the need for physician-patient contact and eases follow-up burden. Many of our recommended changes are easily replicated in other clinical settings. Should these adaptations demonstrate long-term sustainability, it is likely they will remain incorporated into future clinical practice.     

Emergency percutaneous tracheostomy in trauma patients: an early experience

BACKGROUND: In recent years, percutaneous tracheostomy (PCT) has become a routine practice in many hospitals. In the early publications, most authors considered adverse conditions such as short or fat neck or obesity as relative contraindications, whereas cervical injury and emergency were regarded as absolute contraindications. More recently, several reports demonstrated the safety and feasibility of PCT in patients with some of the above contraindications. We, like many others, gradually reduced the contraindications and expanded the indications for PCT. In this paper, we report our early experience with emergency PCT in trauma patients. METHODS: Ten adult patients suffering from multiple injuries after motor vehicle accident (7) or severe head and neck burns (3) required emergency surgical airway control after failure to accomplish orotracheal intubation. A modified Griggs' technique was used by experienced thoracic surgeons. Recorded data included patient demographics, clinical and anatomic conditions, length of procedure, and complications. Short-term follow-up was performed in the hospital by thoracic staff surgeons. Long-term follow-up was carried out in the outpatient clinic. RESULTS: Six male and 4 female patients underwent emergency PCT. The mean time from skin incision to intubation was 5.5 minutes including the oxygen insufflation period. There was no failure, no procedure-related complication, and no conversion to open technique. Five patients survived and underwent uneventful decannulation. In approximately 1 year of follow-up, there were no clinical symptoms or signs of complications related to the tracheostomy. CONCLUSIONS: Emergency PCT using a modified Griggs' technique is feasible and safe. In experienced hands, it might be even easier and faster than the open surgical tracheostomy.     

The impact of advanced age on trauma triage decisions and outcomes: A statewide analysis

Background

Physiologic variables used in trauma triage criteria may be significantly affected by age, decreasing their predictive value in geriatric trauma.

Methods

The study population was all adult patients in the Washington State Trauma Registry from 2000 to 2004. Elderly patients were defined as those aged >65 years. Multivariate analyses were conducted to evaluate the relationship between age and trauma triage decisions, need for emergent interventions, and outcomes.

Results

Of 51,227 trauma admissions, 13,820 (27%) were for elderly patients. Elderly patients were significantly less likely to have trauma team activation (14% vs 29%, P <.01), despite a similar percentage of severe injuries (injury severity score > 15), and more often required urgent craniotomy (10% vs 6%, P <.01) and orthopedic procedures (67% vs 51%, P <.01). Heart rate and blood pressure were not predictive of severe injury for those aged >65 years. Undertriaged elderly patients had 4 times the mortality rate and discharge disability of younger patients (both P values <.001).

Conclusions

Elderly trauma victims are less likely to undergo rapid trauma evaluation and have significantly worse outcomes compared with younger patients. Standard physiologic triage variables may not identify severe injury in older patients.     

Increased survival among severe trauma patients: the impact of a national trauma system

HYPOTHESIS: The survival of severe trauma patients is affected by the implementation of a national trauma system, which brought about developments both at the hospital and prehospital levels during the past decade. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study of all severely injured patients (Injury Severity Score >16) recorded in the Israeli National Trauma Registry at all level I trauma centers in Israel from January 1, 1997, to December 31, 2001. Inpatient death rates were examined overall and by subgroups. SETTING: The National Trauma Registry includes trauma (International Statistical Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis codes 800-959) hospitalizations, patients who were transferred to or from other hospitals, and those who died in the emergency department. It excludes patients who were dead on arrival, discharged following treatment in the emergency department, and patients who do not fall into the definition of trauma.Main Outcome Measure Inpatient death. RESULTS: Seven thousand four hundred twenty-three severe trauma patients were recorded. Inpatient death rates decreased significantly from 21.6% in 1997 to 14.7% in 2001. The odds ratios of mortality in 1998 through 2001 vs 1997, adjusted for year, age, sex, penetrating injury, and severity of injury (Injury Severity Score >25), were 0.92, 0.89, 0.70, and 0.65, respectively, confirming the downward trend. CONCLUSIONS: A steady significant reduction in the inpatient death rate of severe trauma patients hospitalized at all level I trauma centers in Israel between 1997 and 2001 was observed. Although a single factor that explains the reduction was not identified, it is evident that the establishment of the trauma system brought about a significant decrease in mortality. We believe that integrated cooperation of various components of the national trauma system in Israel across the years may explain the reduction.     

Predictors of mortality in adult trauma patients: the physiologic trauma score is equivalent to the Trauma and Injury Severity Score

Background:

Several statistical models (Trauma and Injury Severity Score [TRISS], New Injury Severity Score [NISS], and the International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision-based Injury Severity Score [ICISS]) have been developed over the recent decades in an attempt to accurately predict outcomes in trauma patients. The anatomic portion of these models makes them difficult to use when performing a rapid initial trauma assessment. We sought to determine if a Physiologic Trauma Score, using the systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) score in combination with other commonly used indices, could accurately predict mortality in trauma.

Study Design:

Prospective data were analyzed in 9,539 trauma patients evaluated at a Level I Trauma Center over a 30-month period (January 1997 to July 1999). A SIRS score (1 to 4) was calculated on admission (1 point for each: temperature >38°C or <36°C, heart rate >90 beats per minute, respiratory rate >20 breaths per minute, neutrophil count > 12,000 or < 4,000. SIRS score, Injury Severity Score (ISS), Revised Trauma Score (RTS), TRISS, Glasgow Coma Score, age, gender, and race were used in logistic regression models to predict trauma patients’ risk of death. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curves of sensitivity versus 1-specificity was used to assess the predictive ability of the models.

Results:

The study cohort of 9,539 trauma patients (of which 7,602 patients had complete data for trauma score calculations) had a mean ISS of 9 ± 9 (SD) and mean age of 37 ± 17 years. SIRS (SIRS score ≥ 2) was present in 2,165 of 7,602 patients (28.5%). In single-variable models, TRISS and ISS were most predictive of outcomes. A multiple-variable model, Physiologic Trauma Score combining SIRS score with Glasgow Coma Score and age (Hosmer-Lemenshow CHI-SQUARE = 4.74) was similar to TRISS and superior to ISS in predicting mortality. The addition of ISS to this model did not significantly improve its predictive ability.

Conclusions:

A new statistical model (Physiologic Trauma Score), including only physiologic variables (admission SIRS score combined with Glasgow Coma Score and age) and easily calculated at the patient bedside, accurately predicts mortality in trauma patients. The predictive ability of this model is comparable to other complex models that use both anatomic and physiologic data (TRISS, ISS, and ICISS).     

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on orthopedic trauma workload in a London level 1 trauma center: the “golden month”: The COVid Emergency Related Trauma and orthopaedics (COVERT) Collaborative

Background and purpose — The COVID-19 pandemic has been recognized as an unprecedented global health crisis. This is the first observational study to evaluate its impact on the orthopedic workload in a London level 1 trauma center (i.e., a major trauma center [MTC]) before (2019) and during (2020) the “golden month” post-COVID-19 lockdown.Patients and methods — We performed a longitudinal observational prevalence study of both acute orthopedic trauma referrals, operative and anesthetic casemix for the first “golden” month from March 17, 2020. We compared the data with the same period in 2019. Statistical analyses included median (median absolute deviation), risk and odds ratios, as well as Fisher’s exact test to calculate the statistical significance, set at p ≤ 0.05.Results — Acute trauma referrals in the post-COVID period were almost halved compared with 2019, with similar distribution between pediatric and adult patients, requiring a significant 19% more admissions (RR 1.3, OR 2.6, p = 0.003). Hip fractures and polytrauma cases accounted for an additional 11% of the modal number of injuries in 2020, but with 19% reduction in isolated limb injuries that were modal in 2019. Total operative cases fell by a third during the COVID-19 outbreak. There was a decrease of 14% (RR 0.85, OR 0.20, p = 0.006) in aerosol-generating anesthetic techniques used.Interpretation — The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a decline in the number of acute trauma referrals, admissions (but increased risk and odds ratio), operations, and aerosolizing anesthetic procedures since implementing social distancing and lockdown measures during the “golden month.”

The global impact of COVID-19The novel coronavirus SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) was first reported in December 2019 with the first patient hospitalized in the city of Wuhan, China (Wu et al. 2020). By mid-March 2020 the outbreak affected over 190 countries with over 450,000 cases and over 20,000 deaths, thus being declared a pandemic and a global public health emergency by the World Health Organization (2020). On January 24, 2020 Europe reported its first case followed by a case in the United Kingdom (UK) 5 days later (Spiteri et al. 2020). Such a pandemic is an unprecedented event, and governments have had to enact firm social distancing and lockdown measures in an attempt to mitigate further viral transmission (Anderson et al. 2020) in order to reduce morbidity and mortality.British response to the pandemicThe English government responded by implementing social distancing measures on the March 16, 2020 in an attempt to reduce the rate of transmission and therefore the demands on the National Health Service (UK Government 2020a). This was followed a week later by more stringent measures, commonly referred to as a societal “lockdown” (UK Government 2020b). As of March 23, 2020, all members of the public were required to stay at home except for limited purposes and this ruling received Royal Assent by March 26 within the rest of the UK. Furthermore, all public gatherings of more than 2 people and non-essential businesses were suspended. In response to the NHS emergency declaration (National Health Service England 2020), the Royal College of Surgeons (2020) and the British Orthopaedic Association (2020) both issued statements and guidelines for delivering emergency trauma and orthopedic care during the COVID-19 outbreak. The phenomenon of a reduction in trauma burden due to such social distancing measures has been described by Stinner et al. (2020), as well as the potential impact of COVID-19 on operative capacity and pathways. There has been little to explore on how COVID-19 affects the etiology of trauma referral workloads and the operative casemix.We evaluated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic at a central London level 1 trauma center, also known as a Major Trauma Centre (MTC), evaluating the trends of acute orthopedic trauma referral caseload and operative casemix before (2019) and during (2020) the COVID-19 lockdown (i.e., the “golden” month period starting from March 17).       

Emergency medicine undergraduate simulation training during the COVID-19 pandemic: A course evaluation

ObjectiveReduction in patient-facing teaching encounters has limited practical exposure to Emergency Medicine for medical students. Simulation has traditionally provided an alternative to patient-facing learning, with increasing integration in courses. Rapid advancements in technology facilitate simulation of realistic complex simulations encountered in the emergency setting. This study evaluated the efficacy of high-fidelity simulation in undergraduate emergency trauma medicine teaching.MethodsA consultant trauma expert delivered an introductory lecture, followed by consultant-led small group transoesophageal echocardiogram (TOE) and chest drain simulations, and a splinting station. Participants then responded to a major trauma incident with simulated patients and high-fidelity mannequins. Pre- and post-surveys were administered to assess change in delegates’ trauma surgery knowledge and confidence.DesignOne-group pretest-posttest research design.SettingA higher education institution in the United Kingdom.ParticipantsA convenience sample of 50 pre-clinical and clinical medical students.ResultsRecall of the boundaries of the safe triangle for chest drain insertion improved by 46% (p < 0.01), and knowledge of cardinal signs of a tension pneumothorax improved by 26% (p = 0.02). There was a 22% increase in knowledge of what transoesophageal echocardiograms (TOEs) measure (p = 0.03), and 38% increased knowledge of contraindications for splinting a leg (p < 0.01). The average improvement in knowledge across all procedures when compared to baseline was 35.8% immediately post-simulation and 22.4% at six-weeks post-simulation. Confidence working in an emergency setting increased by 24% (p < 0.001) immediately, and by 27.2% (p < 0.001) at six weeks.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that simulation training within emergency medicine can result in significant increases in both competency and confidence. Benefits were observed over a six-week period. In the context of reduced patient-facing teaching opportunities, emergency medicine simulation training may represent an invaluable mechanism for delivery of teaching.