Background Management of traumatic liver injury includes observation, hemorrhage control laparotomy (HCL), and/or liver angioembolization (LAE). Although the literature supports LAE as an effective option, procedure-related complications are well described and not uncommon. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether LAE is associated with worse outcomes in both patients undergoing HCL and patients managed expectantly.Methods This is a retrospective analysis of patients with grades III to V traumatic liver injury enrolled in the 2018 to 2020 Trauma Quality Improvement Program database. Two comparisons were performed: (1) HCL within 24 hours of admission with and without LAE, and (2) no HCL within 24 hours of admission with and without LAE. Propensity score matching was used to account for differences in patient acuity, and univariate analysis was performed to compare groups.Results Both groups were well balanced after matching. Among patients with initial HCL, concomitant LAE did not affect mortality, length of stay, or complications. Patients with LAE underwent more percutaneous liver drainage procedures (7.8% vs. 3.3%, p=0.016). In the second comparison, LAE was associated with a statistically significant increase in hospital length of stay (17.6 days vs. 14.2 days, p<0.001) and more percutaneous liver drainage procedures (4.3% vs. 0.8%, p=0.002) but less open liver repairs (3.5% vs. 8.3%, p=0.004). For both cohorts, patients undergoing LAE had significantly higher 4-hour transfusion volumes.Conclusion LAE following traumatic liver injury is associated with more percutaneous liver drainage procedures. It is associated with increased hospital length of stay when compared with patients who are managed expectantly, but does not significantly affect mortality or hospital complications. Although the literature reports a high rate of liver-related complications, we found a relatively lower rate of liver-related interventions, particularly in the non-operative group.Level of evidence III.

Introduction Optimal venous thromboembolism (VTE) enoxaparin prophylaxis dosing remains elusive. Weight-based (WB) dosing safely increases anti-factor Xa levels without the need for routine monitoring but it is unclear if it leads to lower VTE risk. We hypothesized that WB dosing would decrease VTE risk compared with standard fixed dosing (SFD).Methods Patients from the prospective, observational CLOTT-1 registry receiving prophylactic enoxaparin (n=5539) were categorized as WB (0.45–0.55 mg/kg two times per day) or SFD (30 mg two times per day, 40 mg once a day). Multivariate logistic regression was used to generate a predicted probability of VTE for WB and SFD patients.Results Of 4360 patients analyzed, 1065 (24.4%) were WB and 3295 (75.6%) were SFD. WB patients were younger, female, more severely injured, and underwent major operation or major venous repair at a higher rate than individuals in the SFD group. Obesity was more common among the SFD group. Unadjusted VTE rates were comparable (WB 3.1% vs. SFD 3.9%; p=0.221). Early prophylaxis was associated with lower VTE rate (1.4% vs. 5.0%; p=0.001) and deep vein thrombosis (0.9% vs. 4.4%; p<0.001), but not pulmonary embolism (0.7% vs. 1.4%; p=0.259). After adjustment, VTE incidence did not differ by dosing strategy (adjusted OR (aOR) 0.75, 95% CI 0.38 to 1.48); however, early administration was associated with a significant reduction in VTE (aOR 0.47, 95% CI 0.30 to 0.74).Conclusion In young trauma patients, WB prophylaxis is not associated with reduced VTE rate when compared with SFD. The timing of the initiation of chemoprophylaxis may be more important than the dosing strategy. Further studies need to evaluate these findings across a wider age and comorbidity spectrum.Level of evidence Level IV, therapeutic/care management.

Background Morning postoperative labs are often obtained for emergency general surgery (EGS) patients. Studies in other surgical fields indicate that routine postoperative day 1 (POD1) labs are sometimes being performed excessively and do not require intervention. The purpose of this study is to identify predictors indicating the need for POD1 labs in EGS patients based on likelihood of intervention.Methods This is a retrospective review of non-critically ill EGS patients from 2022 to 2023 who received POD1 morning labs. The odds of having an abnormal result and likelihood of intervention were measured through multivariate logistic regression accounting for patient characteristics and procedure. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression analysis was performed to determine significant predictors of an abnormal result and intervention.Results 502 EGS patients were included. LASSO revealed that procedure duration, fever, lysis of adhesions, preoperative systolic blood pressure <90 mm Hg, older age, heart failure, operative blood loss, chronic kidney disease, and anticoagulation use were independent predictors for any abnormal result (area under the receiver operation curve (AUC)=0.785). Independent predictors of intervention were procedure duration, older age, higher estimated blood loss (EBL), anticoagulant use, and lysis of adhesions (AUC=0.704). Procedures >400 min carried an 84.3% chance of an abnormal lab requiring intervention. EBL >200 mL carried a 75.5% chance of an abnormal lab requiring intervention.Conclusion POD1 labs for non-critically ill EGS patient rarely require intervention and can be safely omitted. Labs should be considered for longer procedures, higher EBLs, older patients, those on anticoagulation, or after lysis of adhesions.

Importance Pulmonary clots are seen frequently on chest computed tomography performed after trauma, but recent studies suggest that pulmonary thrombosis (PT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) after trauma are independent clinical events. Objective To assess whether posttraumatic PT represents a distinct clinical entity associated with the nature of the injury, different from the traditional venous thromboembolic paradigm of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and PE. Design, Setting, and Participants This prospective, observational, multicenter cohort study was conducted by the Consortium of Leaders in the Study of Traumatic Thromboembolism (CLOTT) study group. The study was conducted at 17 US level I trauma centers during a 2-year period (January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2020). Consecutive patients 18 to 40 years of age admitted for a minimum of 48 hours with at least 1 previously defined trauma-associated venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk factor were followed up until discharge or 30 days. Exposures Investigational imaging, prophylactic measures used, and treatment of clots. Main Outcomes and Measures The main outcomes of interest were the presence, timing, location, and treatment of any pulmonary clots, as well as the associated injury-related risk factors. Secondary outcomes included DVT. We regarded pulmonary clots with DVT as PE and those without DVT as de novo PT. Results A total of 7880 patients (mean [SD] age, 29.1 [6.4] years; 5859 [74.4%] male) were studied, 277 with DVT (3.5%), 40 with PE (0.5%), and 117 with PT (1.5%). Shock on admission was present in only 460 patients (6.2%) who had no DVT, PT, or PE but was documented in 11 (27.5%) of those with PE and 30 (25.6%) in those with PT. Risk factors independently associated with PT but not DVT or PE included shock on admission (systolic blood pressure <90 mm Hg) (odds ratio, 2.74; 95% CI, 1.72-4.39;P < .001) and major chest injury with Abbreviated Injury Score of 3 or higher (odds ratio, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.16-2.56;P = .007). Factors associated with the presence of PT on admission included major chest injury (14 patients [50.0%] with or without major chest injury with an Abbreviated Injury Score >3;P = .04) and major venous injury (23 [82.1%] without major venous injury and 5 [17.9%] with major venous injury;P = .02). No deaths were attributed to PT or PE. Conclusions and Relevance To our knowledge, this CLOTT study is the largest prospective investigation in the world that focuses on posttraumatic PT. The study suggests that most pulmonary clots are not embolic but rather result from inflammation, endothelial injury, and the hypercoagulable state caused by the injury itself.

BACKGROUND Identification of occult hypovolemia in trauma patients is difficult. We hypothesized that in acute trauma patients, the response of ultrasound-measured minimum inferior vena cava diameter (IVCDMIN), IVC Collapsibility Index (IVCCI), minimum internal jugular diameter (IJVD(MIN)) or IJV Collapsibility Index (IJVCI) after up to 1 hour of fluid resuscitation would predict 24-hour resuscitation intravenous fluid requirements (24FR). METHODS An NTI-funded, American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Multi-Institutional Trials Committee prospective, cohort trial was conducted at four Level I Trauma Centers. Major trauma patients were screened for an IVCD of 12 mm or less or IVCCI of 50% or less on initial focused assessment sonographic evaluations for trauma. A second IVCD was obtained 40 minutes to 60 minutes later, after standard-of-care fluid resuscitation. Patients whose second measured IVCD was less than 10 mm were deemed nonrepleted (NONREPLETED), those 10 mm or greater were repleted (REPLETED). Prehospital and initial resuscitation fluids and 24FR were recorded. Demographics, Injury Severity Score, arterial blood gasses, length of stay, interventions, and complications were recorded. Means were compared by ANOVA and categorical variables were compared via chi(2). Receiver operating characteristic curves analysis was used to compare the measures as 24FR predictors. RESULTS There were 4,798 patients screened, 196 were identified with admission IVCD of 12 mm or IVCCI of 50% or less, 144 were enrolled. There were 86 REPLETED and 58 NONREPLETED. Demographics, initial hemodynamics, or laboratory measures were not significantly different. NONREPLETED had smaller IVCD (6.0 +/- 3.7 mm vs. 14.2 +/- 4.3 mm, p < 0.001) and higher IVCCI (41.7% +/- 30.0% vs. 13.2% +/- 12.7%, p < 0.001) but no significant difference in IJVD or IJVCCI. REPLETED had greater 24FR than NONREPLETED (2503 +/- 1751 mL vs. 1,243 +/- 1,130 mL, p = 0.003). Receiver operating characteristic analysis indicates IVCDMIN predicted 24FR (area under the curve [AUC], 0.74; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.64-0.84; p < 0.001) as did IVCCI (AUC, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.65-0.85; p < 0.001) but not IJVD(MIN) (AUC, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.24-0.60; p = 0.747) or IJVCI (AUC, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.42-0.67; p = 0.591). CONCLUSION Ultrasound assessed IVCDMIN and IVCCI response initial resuscitation predicts 24-hour fluid resuscitation requirements.

# Needs assessment for postgraduate trauma training in general surgery: a qualitative study {#article-title-2} Trauma is considered a key component of surgical training. However, recent changes in practice patterns and training paradigms have resulted in a critical review of curricula for surgical

INTRODUCTION Pancreatic trauma results in high morbidity and mortality, in part caused by the delay in diagnosis and subsequent organ dysfunction. Optimal operative management strategies remain unclear. We therefore sought to determine CT accuracy in diagnosing pancreatic injury and the morbidity and mortality associated with varying operative strategies. METHODS We created a multicenter, pancreatic trauma registry from 18 Level 1 and 2 trauma centers. Adult, blunt or penetrating injured patients from 2005 to 2012 were analyzed. Sensitivity and specificity of CT scan identification of main pancreatic duct injury was calculated against operative findings. Independent predictors for mortality, adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and pancreatic fistula and/or pseudocyst were identified through multivariate regression analysis. The association between outcomes and operative management was measured. RESULTS We identified 704 pancreatic injury patients of whom 584 (83%) underwent a pancreas-related procedure. CT grade modestly correlated with OR grade (r2 0.39) missing 10 ductal injuries (9 grade III, 1 grade IV) providing 78.7% sensitivity and 61.6% specificity. Independent predictors of mortality were age, Injury Severity Score (ISS), lactate, and number of packed red blood cells transfused. Independent predictors of ARDS were ISS, Glasgow Coma Scale score, and pancreatic fistula (OR 5.2, 2.6–10.1). Among grade III injuries (n = 158, 22.4%), the risk of pancreatic fistula/pseudocyst was reduced when the end of the pancreas was stapled (OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.05–0.9) compared with sewn and was not affected by duct stitch placement. Drainage alone in grades IV (n = 25) and V (n = 24) injuries carried increased risk of pancreatic fistula/pseudocyst (OR 8.3, 95% CI 2.2–32.9). CONCLUSION CT is insufficiently sensitive to reliably identify pancreatic duct injury. Patients with grade III injuries should have their resection site stapled instead of sewn and a duct stitch is unnecessary. Further study is needed to determine if drainage alone should be employed in grades IV and V injuries. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Epidemiologic/Diagnostic study, level III.

Background Recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa) has been used off-label as an adjunct in the reversal of warfarin therapy and management of hemorrhage after trauma. Only a handful of these reports are rigorous studies, from which results regarding safety and effectiveness have been mixed. There remains no clear consensus as to the role of rFVIIa in traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods Eleven level 1 trauma centers provided clinical data and head CT scans of patients with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score of ≤13 and radiographic evidence of TBI. A propensity score (PS) to receive rFVIIa in those surviving ≥2 days was calculated for each patient based on patient demographics, comorbidities, physiology, Injury Severity Score, admission GCS score, and treatment center. Patients receiving rFVIIa within 24 hours of admission were matched to patients who did not receive rFVIIa for outcomes assessment. Subgroup analysis evaluated patients with primary head injury with PS matching. Results There were 4284 patient observations; 129 received rFVIIa. Groups were comparable after matching. No differences in mortality or morbidity were found. Improvement in GCS score from admission to discharge was less among those receiving rFVIIa (5.5 vs. 2.4; P value 0.001); however, there was no difference in average GCS score at discharge. No significant differences in outcomes were identified in patients with isolated TBI receiving rFVIIa. Discussion rFVIIa in early management of TBI is not associated with a decreased risk of mortality or morbidity, and may negatively impact recovery and functional status at discharge in the severely injured patient with polytrauma. Level of evidence Level III. Study type Therapeutic/care management.

Lean problem solving methods were used to redesign the existing workflow in the operating room for elective first cases of the day.Implementation of lean interventions in the pre-operative holding area was associated with significantly improved rates of on-time starts.

The term "open abdomen" refers to a surgically created defect in the abdominal wall that exposes abdominal viscera. Leaving an abdominal cavity temporarily open has been well described for several indications, including damage control surgery and abdominal compartment syndrome. Although beneficial in certain patients, the act of keeping an abdominal cavity open has physiologic repercussions that must be recognized and managed during postoperative care. This review article describes these issues and provides guidelines for the critical care physician managing a patient with an open abdomen.

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine if fixed dose enoxaparin prophylaxis provided effective anticoagulation for acute care surgery patients and to examine whether a real-time enoxaparin dose adjustment algorithm optimized anticoagulation. Methods: Acute care surgical patients placed on enoxaparin prophylaxis 30 mg twice daily were recruited prospectively. Peak steady state aFXa levels were drawn with a goal peak aFXa range of 0.2-0.4 IU/ml. A real time dose adjustment algorithm was implemented for patients with out-of-range levels. Results: Fifty five patients were included. 56.4% of patients had low aFXa levels (<0.2 IU/mL). Real-time enoxaparin dose adjustment significantly increased the proportion of patients who achieved in-range peak aFXa levels, compared to standard dosing (74.5% vs 41.8%, p < 0.001). Patients with initial inadequate peak aFXa levels had a higher rate of 90-day post-operative VTE, although not statistically significant (16.1% vs. 8.3%, p = 0.50). Conclusion: The majority of acute care surgery patients receive inadequate VTE prophylaxis with fixed enoxaparin dosing. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rib fractures are among the most common traumatic injury found in ∼20% of all patients who suffer thoracic trauma. The majority of these are a result of a blunt mechanism and are often associated with other traumatic injuries. The most common associated injury is lung contusion. Rib fractures impart an increased morbidity and mortality with the highest mortality associated with a flail chest in the elderly population. Flail chest is defined radiographically as 3 or more consecutive ribs fractured in 2 or more places. This often translates to a clinical flail which is associated with paradoxical chest wall movement during respiratory cycles. The mainstay of treatment has been pain control and respiratory support with positive pressure ventilation. However, over the past 2 decades, there has been mounting evidence to suggest that open reduction and internal fixation of ribs benefits patients. The indications remain confined to the most severely injured patients with flail chest or chronic non-unions; however, there remains debate whether or not less severely injured patients would benefit as well. This article will review the current evidence and provide proposed indications based on available evidence and current expert opinion.

Despite advances in the medical and surgical management of cardiovascular disease, greater than 350,000 patients experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the United States annually, with only a 12% neurologically favorable survival rate. Of these patients, 23% have an initial shockable rhythm of ventricular fibrillation/pulseless ventricular tachycardia (VF/VT), a marker of high probability of acute coronary ischemia (80%) as the precipitating factor. However, few patients (22%) will experience return of spontaneous circulation and sufficient hemodynamic stability to undergo cardiac catheterization and revascularization. Previous case series and observational studies have demonstrated the successful application of intra-arrest extracorporeal life support, including to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest victims, with a neurologically favorable survival rate of up to 53%. For patients with refractory cardiac arrest, strategies are needed to bridge them from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest to the catheterization laboratory and revascularization. To address this gap, we expanded our ICU and perioperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) program to the emergency department (ED) to reach this cohort of patients to improve survival. In this report, we illustrate our process and initial experience of developing a multidisciplinary team for rapid deployment of ED ECMO as a template for institutions interested in building their own ED ECMO programs.

Swords, Douglas S. MD; Zhang, Yingying YZ.; Presson, Angela P. PhD; Nirula, Ram MD, FACS; Finlayson, Samuel R. MD, MPH, FACS; Bucher, Brian T. MD Author Information

BACKGROUND Celiotomy is the most common approach for refractory small bowel obstruction (SBO). Small reviews suggest that a laparoscopic approach is associated with shorter stay and less morbidity. Given the limitations of previous studies, we sought to evaluate outcomes of laparoscopic (L) compared with open (O) adhesiolysis for SBO, using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data set.METHODS Patients from the American College of Surgeons' National Surgical Quality Improvement Program 2005 to 2009 database who underwent surgery for SBO were stratified based on surgical approach. A propensity score to undergo L instead of O was calculated based on demographics, comorbidities, physiology, and laboratory values. Logistic regression was then used to determine differences in outcomes between those propensity score-matched patients who actually underwent L compared with O surgery.RESULTS There were 6,762 patients who underwent adhesiolysis. The propensity score-matching process created 222 matched patients in L and O groups. Laparoscopy was associated with significantly lower rates of any complication (odds ratio [OR] 0.41; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.28-0.60), including superficial site infections (OR, 0.15; 95% CI, 0.05-0.49), intraoperative transfusion (OR, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.05-0.90), and shorter hospital stay (4 days vs. 10 days; p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in operative time, rates of reoperation within 30 days, or mortality.CONCLUSION Laparoscopic treatment of SBO is associated with lower rates of postoperative morbidity compared with laparotomy as well as shorter hospital stay. Laparoscopic treatment of surgical SBO is not associated with higher rates of early reoperation and seems to be associated with lower resource use.LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic study, level IV.

BACKGROUND The open abdomen is a requisite component of a damage control operation and treatment of abdominal compartment syndrome. Enteral nutrition (EN) has proven beneficial for patients with critical injury, but its application in those with an open abdomen has not been defined. The purpose of this study was to analyze the use of EN for patients with an open abdomen after trauma and the effect of EN on fascial closure rates and nosocomial infections. METHODS We reviewed patients with an open abdomen after injury from January 2002 to January 2009 from 11 trauma centers. RESULTS During the 7-year study period, 597 patients required an open abdomen after trauma. Most were men (77%) sustaining blunt trauma (72%), with a mean (SD) age of 38 (0.7) years, an Injury Severity Score of 31 (0.6), an abdominal injury score of 3.8 (0.1), and an Abdominal Trauma Index score of 26.8 (0.6). Of the patients, 548 (92%) had an open abdomen after a damage control operation, whereas the remainder experienced an abdominal compartment syndrome. Of the 597 patients, 230 (39%) received EN initiated before the closure of the abdomen at mean (SD) day 3.6 (1.2) after injury. EN was started with an open abdomen in one quarter of the 290 patients with bowel injuries. For the 307 patients without a bowel injury, logistic regression indicated that EN is associated with higher fascial closure rates (odds ratio [OR], 5.3; p < 0.01), decreased complication rates (OR, 0.46; p = 0.02), and decreased mortality (OR, 0.30; p = 0.01). For the 290 patients who experienced a bowel injury, regression analysis showed no significant association between EN and fascial closure rate (OR, 0.6; p = 0.2), complication rate (OR, 1.7; p = 0.19), or mortality (OR, 0.79; p = 0.69). CONCLUSION EN in the open abdomen after injury is feasible. For patients without a bowel injury, EN in the open abdomen is associated with increased fascial closure rates, decreased complication rates, and decreased mortality. EN should be initiated in these patients once resuscitation is completed. Although EN for patients with bowel injuries did not seem to affect the outcome in this study, prospective randomized controlled trials would further clarify the role of EN in this subgroup. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Therapeutic study, level III.

The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery: April 2012 - Volume 72 - Issue 4 - p 1124 doi: 10.1097/TA.0b013e318253c7a5

BACKGROUND:Recently, rib fracture fixation for flail chest has been used increasingly at both academic and nonacademic trauma centers. Although a few small non-US studies have demonstrated a clinical benefit, it is unclear whether this benefit outweighs the added expense and potential perioperative complications related to the procedure. We therefore sought to determine if open reduction and internal fixation of ribs for flail chest (ORIF-FC) represents a cost-effective means for managing these patients.STUDY DESIGN:A Markov transition state analysis was performed modeling the outcomes of the standard of care or ORIF-FC for flail chest. The incidences of ventilator-associated pneumonia, tracheostomy, sepsis, prolonged ventilation, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, wound infection, and postoperative hemorrhage were obtained based on literature review. Medicare 2010 reimbursement costs were used for diagnoses and procedures. A quality of life improvement factor ranging from 0 to 15% improvement was used to estimate the improvement in pain and functional outcomes related to ORIF-FC. The most cost-effective treatment was then determined, ranging the incidences of ventilator-associated pneumonia and quality of life improvement factor.RESULTS:Cost effectiveness was $15,269 for ORIF-FC compared with $16,810 for standard of care. Even when the quality of life improvement factor was set to 0%, ORIF-FC remained the most cost-effective strategy. Similarly, ORIF-FC remained the most cost-effective strategy by $8,400 when the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia after ORIF was as high as 22%.CONCLUSIONS:Despite the additional cost of surgery, rib fracture fixation dominates the standard of care and should be considered in the management of appropriate flail chest patients.