Tayseer Aldaghlas

Age: Is It All in the Head? Factors Influencing Mortality in Elderly Patients With Head Injuries

BACKGROUND Elderly patients, an increasing segment of the population, who sustain traumatic brain injury (TBI) are known to have worse outcomes, including higher mortality. This objective of this study was to examine the Crash Injury Research Engineering Network and to determine at what age motor vehicle crash fatalities from head injuries increased. METHODS The Crash Injury Research Engineering Network database was queried from 1996 to 2009. Study inclusion criteria were adult vehicle occupants with TBI, with an Abbreviated Injury Scale score ≥2. The age at which mortality increased was calculated. Patients younger and older than this cutoff age were compared to determine differences in crash characteristics. The determined cutoff age was compared with one found in a larger, population-based database. RESULTS There were 915 patients who met the study criteria. An increase in mortality was seen at age 60 years despite no difference in Injury Severity Score and a decrease in crash severity. Patients ≤60 years were more likely to have alcohol involved, to be in a rollover crash, and had higher crash speeds. Comparing the element of the crash attributed to the head injury, the patients >60 years were more likely to have struck the airbag, door, and seat. An analysis of the larger database revealed an increase in mortality at age 70 years. CONCLUSIONS There was a higher mortality secondary to head injuries in those older than 60 years involved in motor vehicle crashes. Improved safety measures in vehicle design may decrease the number of head injuries seen in the older population.

A Novel Decision Tree Approach Based on Transcranial Doppler Sonography to Screen for Blunt Cervical Vascular Injuries

Early detection and treatment of blunt cervical vascular injuries prevent adverse neurologic sequelae. Current screening criteria can miss up to 22% of these injuries. The study objective was to investigate bedside transcranial Doppler sonography for detecting blunt cervical vascular injuries in trauma patients using a novel decision tree approach.

Injury and side impact air bag deployment in near and far sided motor vehicle crashes, United States, 2000-2005.

BACKGROUND Side impact crashes, the most lethal type, account for 26% of all motor vehicle crashes in the United States. The purpose of this study is to delineate side impact airbag (SIAB) deployment rates, injury rates, and analyze crash factors associated with SIAB deployment and occupant injury. METHODS All passenger vehicles equipped with SIABs that were involved in a side impact crash were identified from the National Automotive Sampling System database. Crashes with multiple impacts, ejections, unbelted drivers or rollovers were excluded from the study. The outcome variables of interest were SIAB deployment and driver injury. SIAB deployment was compared in similar crashes to analyze the impact on drivers injury severity score. Other crash factors were also examined to analyze what role they play in SIAB deployment rates and injury rates, such as plane of contact, striking object and Delta-V. RESULTS The data set for this study contained 247 drivers in near and far side crashes in vehicles with installed SIABs. Overall SIAB deployment was 43% in side impact crashes. A significant factor associated with both the SIAB deployment rate and the drivers injury rate was increased Delta-V. CONCLUSIONS SIABs do not deploy consistently in crashes with a high Delta-V or with a lateral primary direction of force and a front plane of contact. In these two scenarios, further research is warranted on SIAB deployments. With SIAB deployment, it appears drivers are able to sustain a higher Delta-V impact without serious injury.

Differences in management and mortality with a bronchoalveolar lavage-based diagnostic protocol for ventilator-associated pneumonia.

Background: Directed antibiotic therapy based on accurate bacteriology is critical to ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) treatment. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) has been reported to be more accurate than endotracheal sputum aspirate (ESA) in VAP diagnosis. Our objective was to determine the frequency with which BAL results differ from ESA cultures and the outcomes of VAP with a BAL-based VAP protocol. Methods: Prospectively collected microbiologic data on all trauma patients with VAP from 2007 through 2009 were reviewed. Per protocol, a positive ESA prompts a BAL and initiation of broad empiric antibiotics with de-escalation based on BAL results. Patients diagnosed with VAP by the protocol were compared with those diagnosed outside of the protocol using univariate and multivariate linear regression analysis. Concordance of ESA and BAL results was evaluated, and cause of death was determined. Results: Of 137 patients with VAP, 96 were diagnosed by the protocol (protocol group) and had 102 pairs of cultures. Twenty-six patients (27%) with 28 pairs of cultures (27.4%) had discordant results. Of discordant pairs, 17 (61%) showed bacteria of a different Grams stain. Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus was the most common causative organism. Mortality was lower in the protocol group (6.3%) than the nonprotocol group (22%, p = 0.014) and mechanically ventilated patients without VAP (24%, p = 0.35) but with comparable Injury Severity Score (ISS). VAP-attributable mortality in the protocol group was 1%. Conclusions: Use of a BAL-based diagnostic protocol affects management of trauma patients with VAP by improving identification of causative microorganisms and is associated with low overall mortality and VAP-attributable mortality.

Transcranial Doppler Investigation of Hemodynamic Alterations Associated With Blunt Cervical Vascular Injuries in Trauma Patients

Blunt cervical vascular injuries, often missed with current screening methods, have substantial morbidity and mortality, and there is a need for improved screening. Elucidation of cerebral hemodynamic alterations may facilitate serial bedside monitoring and improved management. Thus, the objective of this study was to define cerebral flow alterations associated with single blunt cervical vascular injuries using transcranial Doppler sonography and subsequent Doppler waveform analyses in a trauma population.