Karla S. Ahrns

The need for early angiographic embolization in blunt liver injuries.

BACKGROUND Although nonoperative management of blunt liver injury (BLI) has become standard practice, adjuncts to nonoperative therapy, such as angiographic embolization, have not been well characterized. METHODS Patients with BLI were retrospectively identified at our American College of Surgeons-verified Level I trauma center from January 1997 through February 2001. Patients were stratified into four groups: those who received angiographic embolization (AE) as an early intervention when BLI was initially diagnosed (EARLY-AE); those who underwent AE after liver-related operation or later in the hospital course (LATE-AE); those treated with operation only (OR-ONLY); and nonoperative patients who also did not undergo AE (NO-OR). RESULTS There were 126 patients with BLI, of whom 94 were NO-OR, 20 were OR-ONLY, 6 had LATE-AE, and 6 had EARLY-AE. The NO-OR group had significantly lower liver Abbreviated Injury Scale scores. Liver Abbreviated Injury Scale scores were not different between the EARLY-AE, LATE-AE, and OR-ONLY groups. Liver-related mortality was not lower for those treated with AE. There was a trend toward lower mortality for just the EARLY-AE group compared with the LATE-AE and OR-ONLY groups (0% vs. 50% and 35%). The number of units of packed red blood cells transfused and the number of liver-related operations were lower in the EARLY-AE compared with the LATE-AE group, but liver-related complications were not different between the EARLY-AE, LATE-AE, or OR-ONLY groups. AE was successful in arresting hemorrhage in 83% of the cases. CONCLUSION In this small series, we observed similar morbidity and mortality with AE compared with operative therapy. EARLY-AE did decrease blood use and the number of liver-related operations. AE can be performed on severely injured patients with comparable liver-related mortality and complications. Further study of the timing of and outcomes from AE is needed.

Hospital cost is reduced by motorcycle helmet use.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to identify the impact of motorcycle helmet use on patient outcomes and cost of hospitalization, in a state with a mandatory helmet law. METHODS Patients admitted after motorcycle crashes from July 1996 to October 2000 were reviewed, including demographics, Injury Severity Score, length of stay, injuries, outcome, helmet use, hospital cost data, and insurance information. Statistical analysis was performed comparing helmeted to unhelmeted patients using analysis of variance, Students test, and regression analysis. RESULTS We admitted 216 patients: 174 wore helmets and 42 did not. Injury Severity Score correlated with both length of stay and cost of hospitalization. Mortality was not significantly different in either group. Failure to wear a helmet significantly increased incidence of head injuries (Students test, p < 0.02), but not other injuries. Helmet use decreased mean cost of hospitalization by more than

Venous thrombosis incidence in burn patients: Preliminary results of a prospective study

6,000 per patient. CONCLUSION Failure to wear a helmet adds to the financial burden created by motorcycle-related injuries. Therefore, individuals who do not wear helmets should pay higher insurance premiums.

Bronchoalveolar lavage in diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia in patients with burns

There are few prospective data on the incidence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in burn patients. In an on-going prospective study, hospitalized burn patients 18 years or older with an expected hospital length of stay more than 72 hours were imaged with baseline venous duplex ultrasound of all extremities within the first 48 hours after admission and weekly until discharge. Patient demographics and clinical risk factors for DVT were assessed. At the time of submission, 40 patients met screening criteria, and 30 were enrolled. Ultrasound diagnosed seven patients with 11 acute DVT for an incidence of 23%. One pulmonary embolism was documented. DVT patients had a mean age of 49 +/- 23 years with an average TBSA burn of 15 +/- 4% compared with those without thrombosis with a mean age of 44 +/- 17 years (P = NS) and TBSA burn of 18 +/- 25% (P = NS). There were no statistically significant differences for DVT patients in terms of age, number of central line days, hospital length of stay, or TBSA burned. Given the preliminary findings of this small study, we believe that all hospitalized burn patients are at risk for DVT. On-going investigation will be helpful in defining level of risk and improved prevention strategies for thromboembolic complications in burn patients.

Does bronchoalveolar lavage enhance our ability to treat ventilator-associated pneumonia in a trauma-burn intensive care unit?

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality for patients with burns. In nonburn populations, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) excludes other pathology such as systemic inflammatory response syndrome. We hypothesized that BAL would decrease our false-positive VAP rate. All ventilated patients with burn injury who were admitted to our institution from July 2000 through June 2003 were included. After June 2001, BAL was used to make the diagnosis of VAP, with > or =10(4) organisms considered a positive result. Fifty patients met criteria for VAP, 21 in the pre-BAL period and 29 in the BAL period. Six patients (21%) in the BAL group had quantitative cultures <10(4) and were not treated. The outcomes for these patients were not different than those treated for VAP. There were no differences in age, TBSA size, antibiotic use, or ventilator days for the pre-BAL or BAL groups, although the pneumonia rate was lower for the BAL time period. The use of BAL eliminated the unnecessary antibiotic treatment of 21% of patients in the BAL time period and was associated with a lower rate of VAP.

Normal d-dimer levels do not exclude thrombotic complications in trauma patients

BACKGROUND Recent literature supports the notion that bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in ventilated trauma patients may improve our ability to diagnose and treat ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). We hypothesized that BAL would decrease the number of cases of VAP diagnosed and impact our antibiotic use and ventilator days. METHODS Prospective data on all infectious complications were collected for patients admitted to the trauma-burn service for the year 2001. All VAPs between January 1, 2001, through June 30, 2001, were diagnosed without BAL (No BAL group) using clinical signs of fever, sputum production, leukocytosis, chest radiographs, and sputum culture. After July 1, 2001, VAP was diagnosed with the use of BAL. RESULTS There were 37 cases of VAP in the No BAL group (11%) and 29 cases of VAP (8%) in the BAL group. There were no statistical differences in Injury Severity Score, hospital length of stay, ventilator days, or mortality between the two groups. The time to initial treatment of VAP was shorter for the BAL group, but did not reach significance. The number of patients who had their VAP pathogens correctly treated with empiric antibiotics was also the same between the two groups. There was no difference in the rate of recurrent pneumonias. The antibiotic costs and respiratory therapy/ventilator costs were not statistically different between the groups for trauma patients, although antibiotic costs were higher for burn patients. CONCLUSION The routine use of BAL to diagnose VAP in our mixed trauma-burn population did not impact on clinical outcomes or antibiotic use. Our results do not justify the additional costs and potential risks of BAL for all patients. The means of VAP diagnosis may not be as important as choosing the appropriate antibiotics for common VAP organisms in any given intensive care unit.

Burn centers should be involved in prevention of occupational electrical injuries

BACKGROUND Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) are common complications in trauma patients. These diagnoses can be difficult and expensive to make. Recent studies report that a negative D-dimer test excludes thrombotic complications. We questioned the predictive value of a D-dimer test to exclude DVT and PE. METHODS Adult trauma patients admitted March 1999 to March 2001, with an Injury Severity Score > or =9 and expected length of stay >3 days, were approached for enrollment. Bilateral lower extremity duplex ultrasounds and d-dimer levels were performed within 36 hours of admission, day 3-4, day 7, and weekly until discharge. RESULTS Twenty-three patients were diagnosed with DVTs, with 18 DVTs detected within the first week of admission. Five DVT patients had normal D-dimer levels. One of three PE patients tested had a normal D-dimer level. The false negative rate for DVT by d-dimer assay was 24%, and the sensitivity was 76%. The negative predictive value for D-dimers was 92%. All false negative d-dimer tests occurred in patients diagnosed with DVT or PE within the 4 days after admission. CONCLUSION In the early postinjury phase, a negative d-dimer test does not exclude DVT or PE. However, the negative predictive value of a D-dimer test after the first 4 days from admission rose to 100%. Patients with clinical signs and symptoms of DVT or PE in the immediate postinjury phase should undergo further screening to exclude thromboembolic complications.

Beta-blocker use is associated with improved outcomes in adult trauma patients.

Electrical injuries are uncommon, comprising 10% of our regional burn center admissions during a 9-year period. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence, type, and location of occupation-related electrical injuries in an attempt to focus our injury prevention and outreach efforts. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients with electrical injuries admitted to our burn center from January 1992 through March 2000, with focused analysis on those patients admitted with occupation-related electrical injuries. Of the 95 patients admitted for electrical burns, 81% (n = 77) were occupational injuries. This rate of injury suggests that prevention efforts should be directed at work sites and partnerships should be developed between burn centers and businesses to reduce the incidence of injuries.