Incidence and Prognosis of Organ Failure in Severely Injured Children and Adult Patients

Abstract Background: Does there exist a difference in the outcome of severely injured children and severely injured healthy adults? Methods: The data of 1,566 severely injured patients, treated between May 1998 and December 2002 in our emergency department of the University Essen/Germany, were analyzed. Patients with an injury severity score (ISS) > 24 were included in the present study. Patients younger as 18 (17) years were located to the children group c. Patients aged 18 and up to the age of 54 were included in the adult group a. Results: Fifty-four children and 252 adults met the selection criteria. ISS and the Glasgow coma scale (GCS) before intubation were not statistically different in both groups. Seriously injured children stayed significantly shorter on the intensive care unit, required significantly less ventilator days. Furthermore, the incidence of single organ failure (SOF) and multiple organ failure (MOF) was significantly lower in the children group. Mortality in the children group (29.6%) was lower than that in the adult group (33.7%). There was no death due to MOF in the children group as compared to 2.4% (n = 6) in the adults. Conclusion: The incidence of SOF and MOF was significantly lower in the children group although there was no difference in ISS, GCS and injury patterns. The prognosis of severely injured children was found to be better than those of adults. Moreover, there was no death due to MOF in the children group.     

381. Die operative Therapie beim Thoraxtrauma — eine retrospektive Studie

Zusammenfassung Nach multiplem Trauma sinken intracelluläre Aktivität und Konzentration der Elastase in polymorphkernigen Leukocyten (PMNL), die aus Blut ( = 67 U und 6154 g/10⁹ PMNL) und bronchoalveolärer Lavage (BAL)-Flüssigkeit ( = 44 U und 5957 g/10⁹ PMNL) isoliert wurden im Vergleich zu PMNL Gesunder ( = 106 U und 9962 g/10⁹ PMNL). Gleichzeitig wurde ein Anstieg der extracellulären Elastase-Konzentration in Plasma von = 84 g/1 auf = 399 g/1 und in BAL Flüssigkeit von = 8 g/1 auf = 561 g/1 beobachtet. Die durch Stimulation freigesetzte Elastase wird teilweise von einem spezifischen Receptor auf PMNL erneut gebunden. Die Ergebnisse unterstützen die PMNL-vermittelte ARDS-Pathogenese.     

Polytrauma management - What is new and what is true in 2020 ?

This is a review of changes in the practice of treating polytrauma managemtent within the years prior to 2020. It focuses on five different topics, 1. The development of an evidence based definition of Polytrauma, 2. Resuscitation Associated Coagulopathy (RAC), 3. neutrophil guided initial resuscitation, 4. perioperative Scoring to evaluate patients at risk, and 5. evolution of fracture fixation strategies according to protocols^1,2 (Early total care, ETC, damage control orthopedics, DCO, early appropriate care, EAC, safe definitive surgery, SDS).     

Current updates in management of extremity injuries in polytrauma

Injury-related morbidity and mortality have been one of the most common causes of loss in productivity across all geographic distributions. It remains to be a global concern despite a continual improvement in regional and national safety policies. The establishment of trauma care systems and advancements in diagnostics and management have improved the overall survival of severely injured. A better understanding of the physiopathological and immunological responses to injury led to a significant shift in trauma care from “Early Total Care” to “Damage Control Orthopedics.” While most of these algorithms were tailored to the philosophy of “life before limb,” the impact of improper fracture management on disability and societal loss is increasingly being recognized. Recently, “Early Appropriate Care” of extremities has gained importance; however, its implementation is influenced by regional health care policies, available resources, and expertise and varies between low and high-income countries. A review of the literature was performed using PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus databases on articles published from 1990 to 2020 using the Mesh terms “Polytrauma,” “Multiple Trauma,” and “Fractures.” This review aims to consolidate on guidelines and available evidence in the management of extremity injuries in a polytraumatized patient to achieve better clinical outcomes of these severely injured.     

Damage control orthopaedics in polytraumatized patients- current concepts

The principles of fracture management in patients with multiple injuries continue to be of crucial importance. Early treatment of unstable polytraumatized patients with head, chest, abdomen or pelvic injuries, with blood loss followed by immediate fracture fixation (Early Total Care -ETC) may be associated with secondary life threatening posttraumatic systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS). Development of SIRS is typically a function of the type and severity of the initial injury (the “first hit”). Immediate Fracture fixation, using reamed nails or plates, in such unstable patients with multiple injuries is subsequently defined as the “second hit” and may be associated with development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and multiple organ failure (MOF), with relatively high morbidity and mortality.The other alternative for long bone fracture fixation in unstable polytraumatized patients is based on immediate treatment of life threatening conditions related to the injuries, followed by the initial use of minimally invasive modular external frames for long bone fractures and is called Damage Control Orthopedics (DCO) and is widely accepted. In order to refine the DCO concept and to avoid an overuse of external fixation, the “Safe Definitive Surgery” (SDS) concept has been introduced, which is a dynamic synthesis of both strategies (ETC and DCO). The SDS strategy employs clinical parameters and includes repeated assessment of patients. The following paper is going to summarize historical backgrounds and recent concepts in treatment of polytraumatized patients.     

International comparison of the treatment of polytraumatized patients

Summary Worldwide there will be an increase in polytraumatized patients. The number of death after trauma will increase from 5,1 Mill. to 8,4 Mill. The reason is the technical progress in the third world. In western countries there was a decrease in trauma death, in Germany below 8.000 due to traffic accidents in 1998. In most countries the paramedic system and ATLS are established (USA, South Africa). Long rescue times and inadequate shock treatment preclinically are the bigest problems in Russia and Greece. Worldwide the institution of trauma centers (Level I, II, III) has brought much better results comparing to nontrauma centers but is economically expensive. The annual number of polytraumatized patients (Level I 600–1.000 severe trauma, > 65 personal experience) is essential for the success rate. Infrastrucure, Algorithmus and the personal experience of the trauma leader are the keys for optimal results. One parameter for Quality measurement is the number of potentially preventable deaths. Retrospective analysis of treatment protocols and pathological results by an expert team is the best practical way. The results of level I trauma teams reach between 1 and 2 % preventable deaths. A further instrument of quality improvement are Trauma registers like in US and England (MTOS) and the German Trauma register of the German Society of Trauma. The Trauma register in Germany contents till now 2.069 polytraumatized patients.The lethality is 18,6 % (ISS 21 ± 13), comparing to MTOS (ISS 12,8 ± 11,3, lethality 9,2 %). The differences in injury pattern show in the US three times more penetrating injuries than in the German Traumaregister (21,1 % versus 7,2 %).      

严重多发伤患者长骨骨折内固定手术时机选择

多发性创伤仍是人类健康的重要威胁之一。长骨骨折是多发伤最常见的伴发损伤。近年来,随着大量临床研究工作的深入,此类患者的诊疗策略已发生了巨大的变化。但关于如何确定多发伤患者肢体骨折内固定的时机仍然充满争议。主要的争议存在两种外科处理方法—早期全面治疗和损伤控制骨科之间如何选择。本文通过回顾相关的文献,综述了对最佳手术时机的认识及演变,简要讨论了严重多发性创伤患者长骨骨折内固定手术时机这个充满争议的问题,以期为此类患者的处理提供帮助.     

Is prescribed lower extremity weight-bearing status after geriatric lower extremity trauma associated with increased mortality?

ObjectivesEvaluate whether mortality after discharge is elevated in geriatric fracture patients whose lower extremity weight-bearing is restricted.DesignRetrospective cohort studySettingUrban Level 1 trauma centerPatients/participants1746 patients >65 years of ageInterventionPost-operative lower extremity weight-bearing statusMain outcome measureMortality, as determined by the Social Security Death IndexResultsUnivariate analysis demonstrated that patients who were weight-bearing as tolerated on bilateral lower extremities (BLE) had significantly higher 5-year mortality compared to patients with restricted weight-bearing on one lower extremity and restricted weight-bearing on BLE (30%, 21% and 22% respectively, p < 0.001). Cox regression analysis controlling for variables including age, Charlson Comorbidity Index, Injury Severity Scale, combined UE/LE injury, injury mechanism (high vs low), sex, BMI and GCS demonstrated that, in comparison to patients who were weight bearing as tolerated on BLE, restricted weight-bearing on one lower extremity had a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.97 (95% confidence interval 0.78 to 1.20, p = 0.76) and restricted weight-bearing in BLE had a HR of 0.91 (95% confidence interval 0.60 to 1.36, p = 0.73).ConclusionsIn geriatric patients, prescribed weight-bearing status did not have a statistically significant association with mortality after discharge, when controlling for age, sex, body mass index, medical comorbidities, Injury Severity Scale (ISS), mechanism of injury, nonoperative treatment and admission GCS. This remained true in when the analysis was restricted to operative injuries only.