A philosophy of care of open injuries based on the Ganga hospital score

In the management of Type IIIb injuries, Gustilo's classification has the disadvantages of a poor intra and inter-observer agreement rate, low specificity and sensitivity to salvage and inability to predict functional outcomes. We propose here a validated score which assesses the severity of injury to the covering structures, skeletal structures and functional tissues of the injured limb separately along with providing weightage to the presence of co-morbid factors. A high sensitivity and specificity for amputation was documented when a score of 14 was used as the threshold score. In salvaged limbs, the score was found to offer guidelines in protocols for reconstruction. According to the total score, injuries were treated by 'Fix and close' protocol; 'Fix, Bone Graft and Close' protocol, 'Fix and Flap' protocol or 'Stabilise, Watch, Assess and Reconstruct' protocol. The score was thus found to be useful clinically not only to assess salvage but also to provide guidelines in reconstruction.     

COVID-19-associated coagulopathy in children: A multicenter observational cohort study

SARS-CoV-2 infection (coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19]) induces a stark procoagulant state, with many hospitalized adults developing thrombosis despite prophylactic anticoagulation. This study aimed to characterize hemostatic parameters and associated clinical outcomes of COVID-19, such as thrombosis and bleeding, in children and to assess thromboprophylaxis use. This multicenter observational cohort study included 79 patients aged up to 18 years admitted to all pediatric hospitals in Québec, Canada, with SARS-CoV-2 infection during a 5-month period. D-dimers were elevated in 18/19 patients (94.7%) and fibrinogen in 15/26 patients (60%). Eleven patients (13.9%) received anticoagulant thromboprophylaxis. One thrombotic event and one major bleed were observed.