Venous Thromboembolism Rates in Trauma Patients Significantly Increase With Missed Prophylactic Enoxaparin Doses.

Current literature demonstrates prophylactic enoxaparin to be efficacious in reducing venous thromboembolism (VTE) rates without significantly increasing risk for bleeding complications. Despite this evidence, prophylactic enoxaparin doses are frequently withheld for surgery or procedures. This exploratory study aims to quantify the risk of a VTE event in trauma patients associated with missed doses of prophylactic enoxaparin.

Direct to Operating Room for Decompressive Craniotomy/Craniectomy in Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury.

Background: Emergent decompressive craniotomy/craniectomy can be a lifesaving surgical intervention for select patients with traumatic brain injury. Prompt management is critical as early decompression can impact traumatic brain injury outcomes.

Objective: This study aims to describe the feasibility and clinical impact of a new pathway for transporting patients with severe traumatic brain injury directly to the operating room from the trauma bay for decompressive craniotomy/craniectomy.

Out of sight, out of mind? The impact on trauma patient opioid use when the medicine administration schedule is not displayed.

Introduction: The impact of a visual pain medication schedule on opioid use among hospitalized trauma patients is unknown. We examined whether removal of this displayed schedule would decrease oral morphine equivalent (OME) use.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study compared OME use in trauma patients in the inpatient setting before and after removing the patient-facing pain medication schedule that is typically displayed on the patient's white board for all trauma admissions.

To Tranexamic Acid or Not to Tranexamic Acid? Accuracy of Antifibrinolytic Administration at Altitude.

Objective: Tranexamic acid (TXA) has demonstrated a reduction in all-cause mortality in trauma patients with hemorrhage. Administering TXA in the prehospital setting presents unique challenges because the identification of bleeding is based on clinical suspicion without advanced imaging or diagnostic tools. The objective of this study was to examine whether prehospital suspicion of bleeding is validated by in-hospital computed tomographic imaging and examination and to determine if patients received TXA in the absence of hemorrhage.