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Background. We evaluated the prognosis of traumatic out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) by assessing the presence of hepatic portal vein gas (HPVG) observed in ultrasound (US) or point‐of‐care ultrasonography (POCUS) performed during CPR. Furthermore, we aimed to understand the role of HPVG in decision‐making regarding CPR discontinuation or withholding in traumatic OHCA. Methods. The retrospective study was conducted at the level 1 trauma center of urban academic medical centers in South Korea. We included adult trauma OHCA patients who underwent CPR between January 1, 2020, and June 30, 2022. Data on traumatic OHCA patients who presented to the level I trauma center during this period were extracted from the hospital's electronic medical record system. The arrest data were separately managed through the hospital's electronic medical record system for quality control, specifically the arrest registry. US images or clips of the hepatic portal vasculature (HPV) during CPR were used to assess the presence of HPVG. These images were independently reviewed by two emergency medicine physicians with several years of US examination experience who were blinded to all clinical details and outcomes. We evaluated the prognosis of traumatic OHCA by assessing the presence of HPVG using the US. In addition, we analyzed the general characteristics and assessed the impact on the ROSC in traumatic OHCA. Results. Among the 383 cardiac arrest patients, 318 traumatic OHCA patients were included. The mean age was 54.9 ± 19.4 years, and most patients were male. The initial rhythm was mainly asystole, and falls were the most frequent cause of injury. The overall ROSC rate was 18.8%, with a survival rate of 7.2% at hospital discharge. Among the 50 patients who underwent a US examination of HPV, 40 showed HPVG. The HPVG group had a significantly lower ROSC rate and survival rate at ED discharge and hospital discharge compared to the group without HPVG. Conclusion. Traumatic OHCA with HPVG presents a significantly worse prognosis. This suggests that early consideration of termination or withholding of CPR may be appropriate in such cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The base deficit (B), international normalized ratio (I), and Glasgow coma scale (GCS) (BIG) score is useful in predicting mortality in pediatric trauma patients; however, studies on the use of BIG score in adult patients with trauma are sparse. In addition, studies on the correlation between the BIG score and massive transfusion (MT) have not yet been conducted. This study aimed to evaluate the predictive value of BIG score for mortality and the need for MT in adult trauma patients. This retrospective study used data collected between 2016 and 2020 at our hospital's trauma center and registry. The predictive value of BIG score was compared with that of the Injury Severity Score (ISS) and Revised Trauma Score (RTS). Logistic regression analysis was carried out to assess whether BIG score was an independent risk factor. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed, and predictive values were evaluated by measuring the area under the ROC curve (AUROC). In total, 5,605 patients were included in this study. In logistic regression analysis, BIG score was independently associated with in-hospital mortality (odds ratio (OR): 1.1859; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1636–1.2086) and MT (OR: 1.0802; 95% CI: 1.0609–1.0999). The AUROCs of BIG score for in-hospital mortality and MT were 0.852 (0.842–0.861) and 0.848 (0.838–0.857), respectively. Contrastingly, the AUROCs of ISS and RTS for in-hospital mortality were 0.795 (0.784–0.805) and 0.859 (0.850–0.868), respectively. Moreover, AUROCs of ISS and RTS for MT were 0.812 (0.802–0.822) and 0.838 (0.828–0.848), respectively. The predictive value of BIG score for mortality and MT was significantly higher than that of the ISS. The BIG score also showed a better AUROC for predicting in-hospital mortality compared with RTS. In conclusion, the BIG score is a useful indicator for predicting mortality and the need for MT in adult trauma patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Rotational thrombelastometry (ROTEM) has been used to evaluate the coagulation state, predict transfusion, and optimize hemostatic management in trauma patients. However, there were limited studies on whether the prediction value could be improved by adding the ROTEM parameter to the prediction model for in-hospital mortality and massive transfusion (MT) in trauma patients. Objective. This study assessed whether ROTEM data could improve the MT prediction model. Method. This was a single-center, retrospective study. Patients who presented to the trauma center and underwent ROTEM between 2016 and 2020 were included. The primary and secondary outcomes were massive transfusions and in-hospital mortality, respectively. We constructed two models using multivariate logistic regression with backward conditional stepwise elimination (Model 1: without the ROTEM parameter and Model 2: with the ROTEM parameter). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was calculated to assess the predictive ability of the models. Result. In total, 969 patients were included; 196 (20.2%) received MT. The in-hospital mortality rate was 14.1%. For MT, the AUROC was 0.854 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.825–0.883) and 0.860 (95% CI, 0.832–0.888) for Model 1 and 2, respectively. For in-hospital mortality, the AUROC was 0.886 (95% CI, 0.857–0.915) and 0.889 (95% CI, 0.861–0.918) for models 1 and 2, respectively. The AUROC values for models 1 and 2 were not statistically different for either MT or in-hospital mortality. Conclusion. We found that the addition of the ROTEM parameter did not significantly improve the predictive power of MT and in-hospital mortality in trauma patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ischemic brain injury is a major hurdle that limits the survival of resuscitated out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA).Methods: The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility and potential for reduction of ischemic brain injury in adult OHCA patients treated with high- or low-dose Neu2000K, a selective blocker of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) type 2B receptor and also a free radical scavenger, or given placebo. This study is a phase II, multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, prospective, intention-to-treat, placebo-controlled, three-armed, safety and efficacy clinical trial. This trial is a sponsor-initiated trial supported by GNT Pharma. Successfully resuscitated OHCA patients aged 19 to 80 years would be included. The primary outcome is blood neuron-specific enolase (NSE) level on the 3rd day. The secondary outcomes are safety, efficacy defined by study drug administration within 4 h in > 90% of participants, daily NSE up to 5th day, blood S100beta, brain MRI apparent diffusion coefficient imaging, cerebral performance category (CPC), and Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 5th, 14th, and 90th days. Assuming NSE of 42 ± 80 and 80 ± 80 μg/L in the treatment (high- and low-dose Neu2000K) and control arms with 80% power, a type 1 error rate of 5%, and a 28% of withdrawal prior to the endpoint, the required sample size is 150 patients.Discussion: The AWAKE trial explores a new multi-target neuroprotectant for the treatment of resuscitated OHCA patients.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03651557 . Registered on August 29, 2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While transarterial embolization (TAE) is an effective way to control arterial bleeding associated with pelvic fracture, the clinical outcomes according to door-to-embolization (DTE) time are unclear. This study investigated how DTE time affects outcomes in patients with severe pelvic fracture. Methods: Using a trauma database between November 1, 2015 and December 31, 2019, trauma patients undergoing TAE were retrospectively reviewed. The final study population included 192 patients treated with TAE. The relationships between DTE time and patients' outcomes were evaluated. Multiple binomial logistic regression analyses, multiple linear regression analyses, and Cox hazard proportional regression analyses were performed to estimate the impacts of DTE time on clinical outcomes. Results: The median DTE time was 150 min (interquartile range, 121–184). The mortality rates in the first 24 h and overall were 3.7% and 14.6%, respectively. DTE time served as an independent risk factor for mortality in the first 24 h (adjusted odds ratio = 2.00, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.20–3.34, p = 0.008). In Cox proportional hazards regression analyses, the adjusted hazard ratio of DTE time for mortality at 28 days was 1.24 (95% CI = 1.04–1.47, p = 0.014). In addition, there was a positive relationship between DTE time and requirement for packed red blood cell transfusion during the initial 24 h and a negative relationship between DTE time and ICU-free days to day 28. Conclusion: Shorter DTE time was associated with better survival in the first 24 h, as well as other clinical outcomes, in patients with complex pelvic fracture who underwent TAE. Efforts to minimize DTE time are recommended to improve the clinical outcomes in patients with pelvic fracture treated with TAE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. This study aimed to establish a predictive model that includes physiological parameters and identify independent risk factors for severe injuries in bicycle rider accidents. Methods. This was a multicenter observational study. For four years, we included patients with bicycle rider injuries in the Emergency Department-Based Injury In-depth Surveillance database. In this study, we regarded ICD admission or in-hospital mortality as parameters of severe trauma. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess risk factors for severe trauma. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was generated to evaluate the performance of the regression model. Results. This study included 19,842 patients, of whom 1,202 (6.05%) had severe trauma. In multivariate regression analysis, male sex, older age, alcohol use, motor vehicle opponent, load state (general and crosswalk), blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and Glasgow Coma Scale were the independent factors for predicting severe trauma. In the ROC analysis, the area under the ROC curve for predicting severe trauma was 0.848 (95% confidence interval: 0.830–0.867). Conclusion. We identified independent risk factors for severe trauma in bicycle rider accidents and believe that physiologic parameters contribute to enhancing prediction ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Transarterial embolisation (TAE) is an effective intervention for management of arterial haemorrhage associated with pelvic fracture. However, its effects on survival and clinical outcomes are unclear. Methods: Trauma patients with survival data between November 2015 and December 2019 were identified using a trauma database. Patients were divided between TAE and non-TAE groups, and a propensity score was developed using multivariate logistic regression. Survival at 28 days was compared between the groups after propensity score matching. Results: Among 881 patients included in this study, 308 (35.0%) were treated with TAE. After propensity score matching, 130 pairs were selected. Survival at 28 days was significantly higher among patients treated with TAE than among those treated without TAE [122 (93.9%) vs. 112 (86.2%); odds ratio = 2.45; 95% CI 1.02–5.86; p = 0.039]. Conclusions: TAE use was associated with improved survival at 28 days in patients with pelvic fracture and should therefore be considered in the management of severely injured patients with pelvic fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The second affiliation for the first author is missing. Il-Jae Wang is also affiliated with #3: Department of Emergency Medicine, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Gyeongsangnam-do, Yangsan, Republic of Korea.By Il-Jae Wang; Byung-Kwan Bae; Young Mo Cho; Suck Ju Cho; Seok-Ran Yeom; Sang-Bong Lee; Mose Chun; Hyerim Kim; Hyung-Hoi Kim; Sun Min Lee; Up Huh and Soo Young MoonReported by Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author; Author [Extracted from the article]

Background: The effect of alcohol on the outcome and fibrinolysis phenotype in trauma patients remains unclear. Hence, we performed this study to determine whether alcohol is a risk factor for mortality and fibrinolysis shutdown in trauma patients. Materials and methods: A total of 686 patients who presented to our trauma center and underwent rotational thromboelastometry were included in the study. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine whether alcohol was an independent risk factor for in-hospital mortality and fibrinolysis shutdown. Results: The rate of in-hospital mortality was 13.8% and blood alcohol was detected in 27.7% of the patients among our study population. The patients in the alcohol-positive group had higher mortality rate, higher clotting time, and lower maximum lysis, more fibrinolysis shutdown, and hyperfibrinolysis than those in the alcohol-negative group. In logistic regression analysis, blood alcohol was independently associated with in-hospital mortality (odds ratio [OR] 2.578; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.550–4.288) and fibrinolysis shutdown (OR 1.883 [95% CI, 1.286–2.758]). Within the fibrinolysis shutdown group, blood alcohol was an independent predictor of mortality (OR 2.168 [95% CI, 1.030–4.562]). Conclusions: Alcohol is an independent risk factor for mortality and fibrinolysis shutdown in trauma patients. Further, alcohol is an independent risk factor for mortality among patients who experienced fibrinolysis shutdown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) can only detect high-degree hyperfibrinolysis (HF), despite being frequently used in trauma patients. We investigated whether considering FIBTEM HF (the presence of maximal lysis (ML) > 15%) could increase ROTEM-based HF detection's sensitivity. This observational cohort study was performed at a level 1 trauma centre. Trauma patients with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) > 15 who underwent ROTEM in the emergency department between 2016 and 2017 were included. EXTEM HF was defined as ML > 15% in EXTEM. We compared mortality rates between EXTEM HF, FIBTEM HF, and non-HF patient groups. Overall, 402 patients were included, of whom 45% were men (mean age, 52.5 years; mean ISS, 27). The EXTEM HF (n = 37), FIBTEM HF (n = 132), and non-HF (n = 233) groups had mortality rates of 81.1%, 22.3%, and 10.3%, respectively. The twofold difference in mortality rates between the FIBTEM HF and non-HF groups remained statistically significant after Bonferroni correction (P = 0.01). On multivariable Cox regression analysis, FIBTEM HF was independently associated with in-hospital mortality (adjusted hazard ratio 2.15, 95% confidence interval 1.21–3.84, P = 0.009). Here, trauma patients with FIBTEM HF had significantly higher mortality rates than those without HF. FIBTEM be a valuable diagnostic method to improve HF detection's sensitivity in trauma patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated the applicability of the neck and sternal notch (SN) as anatomical landmarks for paediatric chest compression (CC) depth using chest computed tomography. The external anteroposterior diameter (EAPD) of the neck and chest at the SN level, mid-point between two landmarks (mid-landmark), and EAPD of the chest at the lower half of the sternum (EDLH) were measured. To estimate the depths of the landmarks from a virtual point at the same height as the position for CC, we calculated the differences between the EAPDs of the neck, SN, mid-landmark, and EDLH. We analysed the relationship between the depths of the landmarks and one-third EDLH using Bland–Altman plots. In all, 506 paediatric patients aged 1–9 years were enrolled. The depths of the neck, SN, and mid-landmark were 53.7 ± 10.0, 37.8 ± 8.5, and 45.8 ± 9.0 mm, respectively. The mean one-third EDLH was 46.8 ± 7.0 mm. The means of the differences between the depths of the neck and one-third EDLH, depths of the SN and one-third EDLH, and depths of the mid-landmark and one-third EDLH were 9.0, −6.9, and 1.0 mm, respectively. The SN and neck are inappropriate landmarks to guide compression depth in paediatric CPR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Chlorfenapyr is a pyrrole-based pro-insecticide. The main activity of this agent is the inhibition of adenosine triphosphate synthesis, and it is used in agriculture to control several insects and mites resistant to carbamate, organophosphate and pyrethroid insecticide. The World Health Organization classifies this agent as a class II toxin (moderately hazardous). Case presentation: All previously reported cases of chlorfenapyr poisoning in humans occurred following oral ingestion except one case involving exposure to chlorfenapyr vapour. Discussion: In this report, we describe a case of chlorfenapyr intoxication after skin exposure in a 49-year-old patient who died 5 days after exposure. Conclusion: This case demonstrates that similar to oral ingestion, dermal absorption of chlorfenapyr may also be fatal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We aimed to examine the utility of the Poison Severity Score (PSS) and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score as early prognostic predictors of short-term outcomes in patients with carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. We hypothesized that both the PSS and the SOFA score would be useful prognostic tools. Methods: This was retrospective observational study of patients with CO poisoning who presented to the emergency department and were admitted for more than 24 hours. We calculated PSS, the initial SOFA score, a second (2nd) SOFA score, and a 24-hour delta SOFA score. The primary outcome was reported as the cerebral performance category (CPC) scale score at discharge. We classified those with CPC 1–2 as the good outcome group and those with CPC 3–5 as the poor outcome group. Results: This study included 192 patients: 174 (90.6%) belonged to the good outcome group, whereas 18 (9.4%) belonged to the poor outcome group. The PSS (1.00 [0.00, 1.00] vs 3.00 [3.00, 3.00], p < 0.001), initial SOFA (1.00 [0.00, 2.00] vs 4.00 [3.25, 6.00], p < 0.001), 2nd SOFA score (0.00 [0.00, 1.00] vs 4.00 [3.00, 7.00], p < 0.001), and 24-hour delta SOFA score (-1.00 [-1.00, 0.00] vs 0.00 [-1.00, 1.00], p = 0.047) of the good outcome group were significantly higher than those of the poor outcome group. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve for PSS and the initial SOFA and 2nd SOFA scores were 0.977 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.944–0.993), 0.945 (95% CI 0.903–0.973), and 0.978 (95% CI 0.947–0.994), respectively. Conclusion: The PSS, initial SOFA score, and 2nd SOFA score predict acute poor outcome accurately in patients with CO poisoning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cecal bascule is a rare cause of intestinal obstruction, and the diagnosis is often challenging because the symptoms and signs are similar to those of small bowel obstruction. We, herein, present the case of an 82-year-old female who presented to our emergency department with lower abdominal pain. Computed tomography showed anterior medial folding of the cecum over the ascending colon with cecal dilatation, without bowel ischemia or perforation. A good outcome was obtained immediately after supportive care. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a cecal bascule that was improved by supportive care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose : Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) was applied to brain perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) to investigate regional cerebral abnormalities compared to age-matched normal controls. Method : Thirteen patients with TBI underwent brain perfusion SPECT were included in this study (10 males, three females, mean age 39.8&ThickSpace;±&ThickSpace;18.2, range 21&ThickSpace;&nvsim;&ThickSpace;74). SPM2 software implemented in MATLAB 5.3 was used for spatial pre-processing and analysis and to determine the quantitative differences between TBI patients and age-matched normal controls. Results : Three large voxel clusters of significantly decreased cerebral blood perfusion were found in patients with TBI. The largest clusters were area including medial frontal gyrus (voxel number 3642, peak Z -value&ThickSpace;=&ThickSpace;4.31, 4.27, p &ThickSpace;=&ThickSpace;0.000) in both hemispheres. The second largest clusters were areas including cingulated gyrus and anterior cingulate gyrus of left hemisphere (voxel number 381, peak Z -value&ThickSpace;=&ThickSpace;3.67, 3.62, p &ThickSpace;=&ThickSpace;0.000). Other clusters were parahippocampal gyrus (voxel number 173, peak Z -value&ThickSpace;=&ThickSpace;3.40, p &ThickSpace;=&ThickSpace;0.000) and hippocampus (voxel number 173, peak Z -value&ThickSpace;=&ThickSpace;3.23, p &ThickSpace;=&ThickSpace;0.001) in the left hemisphere. The false discovery rate (FDR) was less than 0.04. Conclusion : From this study, group and individual analyses of SPM2 could clearly identify the perfusion abnormalities of brain SPECT in patients with TBI. Group analysis of SPM2 showed hypoperfusion pattern in the areas including medial frontal gyrus of both hemispheres, cingulate gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus and hippocampus in the left hemisphere compared to age-matched normal controls. Also, left parahippocampal gyrus and left hippocampus were additional hypoperfusion areas. However, these findings deserve further investigation on a larger number of patients to be performed to allow a better validation of objective SPM analysis in patients with TBI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]