Publications by authors named "Andrew D Fisher"

Objectives: To determine the association of whole blood and other blood products (components, prothrombin complex concentrate, and fibrinogen concentrate) with the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) among blood recipients.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) database between 2020 and 2021.

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Objectives: To determine the association of whole blood and other blood products (components, prothrombin complex concentrate, and fibrinogen concentrate) with the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) among blood recipients.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) database between 2020 and 2021.

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Background: Junctional hemorrhage is a leading cause of battlefield death. Multiple FDA-approved junctional tourniquet (JTQ) models demonstrate effective hemorrhage control in laboratory settings. However, there are few real-world use cases within the literature.

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Objectives: Studies comparing police, privately owned vehicle (POV), and ground Emergency Medical Services (GEMS) trauma transports reveal mixed results. It remains unclear whether using nonstandard transport methods may be beneficial in the setting of certain injuries. We sought to determine 24-h survival after transport by police or POV when compared to GEMS.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates calcium imbalances in soldiers injured during combat, focusing on their occurrence in emergency departments and their relation to other health issues and mortality within 24 hours.
  • Out of 941 military casualties, 26% exhibited calcium abnormalities, with hypocalcemia being more common (22%) than hypercalcemia (5%).
  • Patients with calcium derangements had lower injury severity scores and a higher survival rate in the hospital compared to those without derangements, although 24-hour survival rates were similar.
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  • Airway management is crucial for critically ill trauma patients, and the study examines the use of emergency surgical airway (ESA) as a backup method when endotracheal intubation (ETI) fails.
  • The research analyzed data from 2017 to 2022, finding that out of over 6 million cases, 2264 ESAs were performed, primarily in patients with more severe injuries, especially to the head/neck and face.
  • The study showed higher survival rates for ETI-only patients over those who received an ESA, and specific types of injuries (like firearms and stabbings) increased the likelihood of needing an ESA.
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Introduction: Emergency resuscitative thoracotomy (ERT) is a resource-intensive procedure that can deplete a combat surgical team's supply and divert attention from casualties with more survivable injuries. An understanding of survival after ERT in the combat trauma population will inform surgical decision-making.

Methods: We requested all encounters from 2007 to 2023 from the Department of Defense Trauma Registry (DoDTR).

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  • A study investigated the use of resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) for managing severe torso trauma in emergency departments, highlighting its controversial role and limited data on patient outcomes.
  • The analysis included 3,398 REBOA procedures from 2017 to 2022, mostly involving male patients with an average age of 40, primarily stemming from collision injuries.
  • The findings showed that while survival rates were high (85%) shortly after REBOA placement, they declined significantly to 42% by discharge, indicating room for improvement in patient selection and outcomes.
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  • Hemorrhage is a major cause of death, and blood products, particularly low titer group O whole blood (LTOWB), are increasingly used to treat patients with hemorrhagic shock.
  • A study analyzed data from over 12,000 trauma patients, finding that 30% received LTOWB within the first 4 hours after hospital arrival.
  • Results indicated that while LTOWB did not show a survival difference at 6 hours, patients receiving at least 10% of LTOWB relative to total blood products had a higher chance of surviving for 24 hours.
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Background: The risks associated with blood product administration and venous thromboembolic events remains unclear. We sought to determine which blood products were associated with the development of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE).

Methods: We analyzed data from patients ≥18 years of age in the Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) database that received ≥1 blood product and survived ≥24 ​h.

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Introduction: Blood transfusions are common during combat casualty care, aiming to address the loss of blood volume that often accompanies severe battlefield injuries. This scoping review delves into the existing military combat casualty data to analyze the efficacy, challenges, and advances in the use of massive and super-massive transfusions in the management of critically injured warfighters.

Materials And Methods: We performed a scoping review of combat-related literature published between 2006 and 2023 pertaining to massive transfusions used during combat deployments.

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Background: Damage-control resuscitation has come full circle, with the use of whole blood and balanced components. Lack of platelet availability may limit effective damage-control resuscitation. Platelets are typically stored and transfused at room temperature and have a short shelf-life, while cold-stored platelets (CSPs) have the advantage of a longer shelf-life.

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Background: Thoracic trauma occurs frequently in combat and is associated with high mortality. Tube thoracostomy (chest tube) is the treatment for pneumothorax resulting from thoracic trauma, but little data exist to characterize combat casualties undergoing this intervention. We sought to describe the incidence of these injuries and procedures to inform training and materiel development priorities.

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Background: The development of acute traumatic coagulopathy is associated with increased mortality and morbidity in patients with battlefield traumatic injuries. Currently, the incidence of acute traumatic coagulopathy in the Role 1 setting is unclear.

Methods: We queried the Prehospital Trauma Registry (PHTR) module of the Department of Defense Trauma Registry (DoDTR) for all encounters from inception through May 2019.

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Article Synopsis
  • REBOA is a medical procedure used in emergencies to help control bleeding in seriously injured people, especially in trauma cases.
  • This study looked at 17 cases where REBOA was used in military settings between 2017 and 2019.
  • Most of the injured patients survived after getting treatment, with many having serious injuries mostly in the abdomen and limbs.
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Background: Identifying patients at imminent risk of death is critical in the management of trauma patients. This study measures the vital sign thresholds associated with death among trauma patients.

Methods: This study included data from patients ≥15 years of age in the American College of Surgeons Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) database.

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Since the first documented use of a tourniquet in 1674, the popularity of tourniquets has waxed and waned. During recent wars and more recently in Emergency Medical Services systems, the tourniquet has been proven to be a valuable tool in the treatment of life-threatening hemorrhage. However, tourniquet use is not without risk, and several studies have demonstrated adverse events and morbidity associated with tourniquet use in the prehospital setting, particularly when left in place for more than 2 h.

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Background: The U.S. Military needs fast-acting, non-opioid solutions for battlefield pain.

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Introduction: Airway compromise is the second leading cause of potentially preventable death on the battlefield. Prehospital airway management is often unavoidable in a kinetic combat environment and expected to increase in future wars where timely evacuation will be unreliable and air superiority not guaranteed. We compared characteristics of survivors to non-survivors among combat casualties undergoing prehospital airway intubation.

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Article Synopsis
  • The Role 2 setting is the most forward military treatment facility, which has limited surgical and holding capabilities, and there's a lack of data on blood product use in such environments.* -
  • A study analyzed data from the Department of Defense Trauma Registry between 2007 and 2023, focusing on blood product consumption in 15,581 medical encounters at Role 2 facilities.* -
  • Results showed that while only a small percentage of patients received significant transfusions, the amounts consumed could exceed current supply recommendations, indicating a need for better blood resupply strategies in future conflicts.*
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