Background: Airway management is a critical component of the care of patients experiencing cardiac arrest, but data from randomized trials on the use of video vs direct laryngoscopy for intubation in the setting of cardiac arrest are limited. Current AHA guidelines recommend placement of an endotracheal tube either during CPR or shortly after return of spontaneous circulation but do not provide guidance around intubation methods, including the choice of laryngoscope.
Research Question: Does use of video laryngoscopy improve the incidence of successful intubation on the first attempt, compared to use of direct laryngoscopy, among adults undergoing tracheal intubation after experiencing cardiac arrest?
Study Design And Methods: This secondary analysis of the Direct versus Video Laryngoscope (DEVICE) trial compared video laryngoscopy versus direct laryngoscopy in the subgroup of patients who were intubated following cardiac arrest.
Background: Prior research suggests that plasma may improve outcomes in traumatic brain injury (TBI). We examined the association between plasma administration and mortality in moderate-severe TBI in a large retrospective cohort, hypothesizing plasma is associated with decreased mortality after accounting for confounding covariates.
Materials And Methods: Patients from the 2017-2020 Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) dataset ≥18 years with moderate-severe TBI were included.
Background: Timely management of trauma patients is crucial. Better team performance means faster care, but roles of specific communication practices remain unclear. We hypothesized that overlapping communication is associated with less efficient resuscitations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Early identification of traumatic brain injury followed by timely, targeted treatment is essential. We aimed to establish the ability of prehospital Glasgow Coma Scale score alone and combined with vital signs to predict hospital-diagnosed traumatic brain injury.
Methods: This study included adults from the 2017-2020 Trauma Quality Improvement Program data set with blunt mechanism.
Study Objective: To examine the association between the neuromuscular blocking agent received (succinylcholine versus rocuronium) and the incidences of successful intubation on the first attempt and severe complications during tracheal intubation of critically ill adults in an emergency department (ED) or ICU.
Methods: We performed a secondary analysis of data from 2 multicenter randomized trials in critically ill adults undergoing tracheal intubation in an ED or ICU. Using a generalized linear mixed-effects model with prespecified baseline covariates, we examined the association between the neuromuscular blocking agent received (succinylcholine versus rocuronium) and the incidences of successful intubation on the first attempt (primary outcome) and severe complications during tracheal intubation (secondary outcome).
Objective: To quantify health utilities of the Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOSE) states after actual traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Background: Recovery after TBI is measured using the GOSE, a validated clinical trial endpoint. A recent public survey quantified the health utilities of some GOSE states after hypothetical TBI as worse than death.
Background: The impact of trauma team dynamics on outcomes in injured patients is not completely understood. We sought to evaluate the association between trauma team function, as measured by a modified Trauma Non-Technical Skills assessment, and cardiac arrest in hypotensive trauma patients. We hypothesized that better team function is associated with a decreased probability of developing cardiac arrest.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImportance: Antipsychotic medications, often prescribed for delirium in intensive care units (ICUs), may contribute to QTc interval prolongation.
Objective: To determine whether antipsychotics increase the QTc interval in patients with delirium in the ICU.
Design, Setting, And Participants: An a priori analysis of a randomized clinical trial in medical/surgical ICUs within 16 centers across the US was conducted.
Background: The Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended (GOSE) is a measure of recovery after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Public surveys rate some GOSE states as worse than death. Direct family experience caring for patients with TBI may impact views of post-TBI disability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Trauma Acute Care Surg
January 2024
Background: Minutes matter for trauma patients in hemorrhagic shock. How trauma team function impacts time to the next phase of care has not been rigorously evaluated. We hypothesized better team performance scores to be associated with decreased time to the next phase of trauma care.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Appropriate risk stratification of indeterminate pulmonary nodules (IPNs) is necessary to direct diagnostic evaluation. Currently available models were developed in populations with lower cancer prevalence than that seen in thoracic surgery and pulmonology clinics and usually do not allow for missing data. We updated and expanded the Thoracic Research Evaluation and Treatment (TREAT) model into a more generalized, robust approach for lung cancer prediction in patients referred for specialty evaluation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: To evaluate the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of combined adrenergic blockade with propranolol and clonidine in patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Background: Administration of adrenergic blockade after severe TBI is common. To date, no prospective trial has rigorously evaluated this common therapy for benefit.
Background: Vascular access in hypotensive trauma patients is challenging. Little evidence exists on the time required and success rates of vascular access types. We hypothesized that intraosseous (IO) access would be faster and more successful than peripheral intravenous (PIV) and central venous catheter (CVC) access in hypotensive patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFResuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) use has expanded to the obstetric condition of placenta accreta spectrum (PAS). Early reports of REBOA for PAS describe prophylactic catheter deployment. We developed a multidisciplinary approach to PAS, with early femoral artery access and selective REBOA deployment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Mortality risks after Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) are understudied in critical illness. We sought to identify risks of mortality in critically ill patients with TBI using time-varying covariates.
Methods: This single-center, six-year (2006-2012), retrospective cohort study measured demographics, injury characteristics, and daily data of acute TBI patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Background: The Veterans Health Administration issued policy for lung cancer screening resources at eight Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs) in a demonstration project (DP) from 2013 through 2015.
Research Question: Do policies that provide resources increase lung cancer screening rates?
Study Design And Methods: Data from eight DP VAMCs (DP group) and 20 comparable VAMCs (comparison group) were divided into before DP (January 2011-June 2013), DP (July 2013-June 2015), and after DP (July 2015-December 2018) periods. Coprimary outcomes were unique veterans screened per 1,000 eligible per month and those with 1-year (9-15 months) follow-up screening.
Background: Lung cancer patients often have comorbidities that may impact survival. This observational cohort study examines whether coronary artery calcifications (CAC) impact all-cause mortality in patients with resected stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Methods: Veterans with stage I NSCLC who underwent resection at a single institution between 2005 and 2018 were selected from a prospectively collected database.