Improving risk adjustment in critically ill trauma patients: the TRISS-SAPS Score.

Objectives: To test (a) the prognostic performance of TRISS and SAPS II scoring systems in a large sample of trauma patients admitted to Austrian ICUs, and (b) the hypothesis that the prognostic performance of TRISS could be improved by adding SAPS II.

Methods: Prospective multicenter cohort study comprising 5,538 trauma patients out of 35,637 patients admitted to 31 ICUs in Austria over a 4-year period.

Results: Separately, TRISS and SAPS II showed lack of calibration in the cohort of trauma patients.

More interventions do not necessarily improve outcome in critically ill patients.

Objective: The organizational structure of health care facilities has been shown to affect outcome in critically ill patients. We evaluated the association between structures, treatments and outcomes in a large cohort of critically ill patients.

Design: Prospective multicentre cohort study.

Preoperative oral administration of fast-release morphine sulfate reduces postoperative piritramide consumption.

The aim of this prospective randomized placebo-controlled double-blind study was to investigate the effect of premedication with morphine sulfate on postoperative pain. Ninety-eight ASA I-III patients undergoing total replacement of the knee or hip joint were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Group 1 received 20 mg morphine sulfate p.