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In certain circumstances, invasive procedures such as creation of a surgical airway, insertion of a chest drain, intraosseous puncture, or amputation in the field are necessary. These invasive procedures can save lives. However, emergency medical service teams cannot perform such procedures according to the law in Korea. The upper arm of a 29-year-old male patient was stuck in a huge machine and the emergency medical service team could not rescue the patient. A doctor-car team was dispatched to the scene and the team performed the filed amputation to extricate the patient. He was brought to the trauma center immediately and underwent formal above-elbow amputation. Here we describe a case of field amputation to rescue a patient through a “doctor car” system, along with a literature review.

Purpose Trauma is the top cause of death in people under 45 years of age. Deaths from severe trauma can have a negative economic impact due to the loss of people belonging to socio-economically active age groups. Therefore, efforts to reduce the mortality rate of trauma patients are essential. The purpose of this study was to investigate preventable mortality in trauma patients and to identify factors and healthcare-related challenges affecting mortality. Ultimately, these findings will help to improve the quality of trauma care. Methods We analyzed the deaths of 411 severe trauma patients who presented to Gachon University Gil Hospital regional trauma center in South Korea from January 2015 to December 2017, using an expert panel review. Results The preventable death rate of trauma patients treated at the Gachon University Gil Hospital regional trauma center was 8.0%. Of these, definitely preventable deaths comprised 0.5% and potentially preventable deaths 7.5%. The leading cause of death in trauma patients was traumatic brain injury. Treatment errors most commonly occurred in the intensive care unit (ICU). The most frequent management error was delayed treatment of bleeding. Conclusions Most errors in the treatment of trauma patients occurred in early stages of the treatment process and in the ICU. By identifying the main causes of preventable death and errors during the course of treatment, our research will help to reduce the preventable death rate. Appropriate trauma care systems and ongoing education are also needed to reduce preventable deaths from trauma.

Purpose: There is increasing evidence in the literature regarding resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) globally, but few cases have been reported in Korea. We aimed to describe our experience of successful Zone III REBOA and to discuss its algorithm, techniques, and related complications. Methods: We reviewed consecutive cases who survived from hypovolemic shock after Zone III REBOA placement for 4 years. We reviewed patients’ baseline characteristics, physiological status, procedural data, and outcomes. Results: REBOA was performed in 44 patients during the study period, including 10 patients (22.7%) who underwent Zone III REBOA, of whom seven (70%) survived. Only one patient was injured by a penetrating mechanism and survived after cardiopulmonary resuscitation. All patients underwent interventions to stop bleeding immediately after REBOA placement. Conclusions: This case series suggests that Zone III REBOA is a safe and feasible procedure that could be applied to traumatic shock patients with normal FAST findings who receive a chest X-ray examination at the initial resuscitation.

Background: The trauma center and multidisciplinary management protocols have been proved to improve the outcomes of severely injured patients. Hemorrhage from pelvic injury is associated with high mortality and is a common cause of preventable trauma death. This study aims to evaluate the effects of the establishment of a trauma center and management protocols on the outcomes of hemodynamically unstable patients with pelvic fractures.Methods: Hemodynamically unstable patients with pelvic fractures were reviewed retrospectively over a 10-year period. They were grouped into periods 1 and 2, which were defined as before and after the establishment of a trauma center and protocols, respectively. Basic characteristics and outcomes were compared between periods.Results: This study enrolled a total of 106 patients. Basic and physiological characteristics were not significantly different in both periods. Pre-peritoneal packing (PPP) and resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of aorta (REBOA) were only performed in period 2 (PPP, N = 27; REBOA, N = 10). In period 2, the time from emergency room arrival to hemostatic intervention was significantly shorter (269 ± 132.4 min. vs. 147.2 ± 95.5 min., p < 0.0001), and mortality due to acute hemorrhage was significantly decreased (33.3% vs. 8.6%, p = 0.018). The multivariate logistic regression analysis identified age, ISS, and period 1 as independent risk factors for mortality.Conclusion: The establishment of a trauma center and multidisciplinary management protocols, such as PPP and REBOA, improved the outcomes of hemodynamically unstable patients with pelvic fractures.

Background: Trauma center and multidisciplinary management protocols have been proven to improve the outcomes of severely injured patients. Hemorrhage from pelvic injury is associated with high mortality and is a common cause of preventable trauma death. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the establishment of a trauma center and management protocols on the outcomes of hemodynamically unstable patients with pelvic fractures. Methods: Hemodynamically unstable patients with pelvic fractures were reviewed retrospectively over a 10-year period. They were grouped into the pre-phase and post-phase, which were defined as before and after the establishment of a trauma center and protocols, respectively. Basic characteristics and outcomes were compared between periods. Results: This study enrolled a total of 106 patients. Basic and physiological characteristics were not significantly different in both phases. Pre-peritoneal packing and resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of aorta were only performed in the post-phase (pre-peritoneal packing, N = 27; resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of aorta, N = 10). In the post-phase, the time from emergency department arrival to hemostatic intervention was significantly shorter (269 ± 132.4 min vs 147.2 ± 95.5 min, p Conclusion: The establishment of a trauma center and multidisciplinary management protocols, such as pre-peritoneal packing and resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of aorta, improved the outcomes of hemodynamically unstable patients with pelvic fractures.

Background: Nonoperative management for hemodynamically stable splenic injury has been accepted as appropriate treatment. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the changes in management and clinical outcomes of splenic injury by introducing a protocol for splenic injury at a newly established regional trauma center. Methods: From January 2005 to December 2016, we reviewed the outcomes of all 257 patients who sustained blunt trauma to the spleen at the first regional trauma center in South Korea. This 11-year period was divided into two intervals, before 1 January 2014 (period I, n = 189 patients) and after 1 January 2014 (period II, n = 68 patients), when the trauma center was established and a formal management protocol was followed for patients with blunt traumatic splenic injuries. Results: The proportion of emergency operations performed for patients with more serious (grades 3–5) splenic injuries was lower in period II than in period I (29% vs 22%, respectively, p Conclusion: After establishing a regional trauma center and introducing a protocol for the management of blunt splenic injuries, the rates of non-operative management and splenic salvage improved significantly. The reasons for this may be multifactorial, being related to the early involvement of a trauma surgeon, expansion of angiographic facilities and resources, and the introduction and application of a protocol for managing blunt splenic injury.

The aim of this study was to determine whether the outcomes of patients with hemodynamically unstable pelvic bone fractures changed after the introduction of a protocol including extraperitoneal pelvic packing (EPP) and the establishment of a trauma center. We analyzed data of adult patients (≥ 18 years old) with hemodynamically unstable pelvic bone fractures who visited a single trauma center from February 2009 to October 2016. In July 2014, a new protocol for pelvic fractures was implemented, and a trauma center was established. Therefore, patient outcomes were compared by period (period I: pre-protocol vs. period II: post-protocol). Seventy-nine patients with hemodynamically unstable pelvic bone fractures were recruited. The time to angiographic embolization after arrival at the emergency room decreased significantly in period II when compared to period I (182.9 vs. 268.9 min, respectively, p

Background: The Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II scoring system and the Sequential Organ Failure As sessment (SOFA) scoring system are widely used for critically ill patients. We evaluated whether APACHE II score and SOFA score pre dict the outcome for trauma patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed trauma patients admitted to the ICU in a single trauma center between January 2014 and December 2015. The APACHE II score was figured out based on the data acquired from the first 24 hours of admission; the SOFA score was evaluated based on the first 3 days in the ICU. A total of 241 patients were available for analysis. Injury Severity score, APACHE II score, and SOFA score were evaluated. Results: The overall survival rate was 83.4%. The non-survival group had a significantly high APACHE II score (24.1 ± 8.1 vs. 12.3 ± 7.2, P < 0.001) and SOFA score (7.7 ± 1.7 vs. 4.3 ± 1.9, P < 0.001) at admission. SOFA score had the highest areas under the curve (0.904). During the first 3 days, SOFA score remained high in the non-survival group. In the non-survival group, cardiovascular system, neuro logical system, renal system, and coagulation system scores were significantly higher. Conclusions: In ICU trauma patients, both SOFA and APACHE II scores were good predictors of outcome, with the SOFA score being the most effective. In trauma ICU patients, the trauma scoring system should be complemented, recognizing that multi-organ failure is an important factor for mortality.