Improving surgical site infections: using National Surgical Quality Improvement Program data to institute Surgical Care Improvement Project protocols in improving surgical outcomes.

Background: The National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) began with the Veterans Affairs system to reduce morbidity and mortality by evaluating preoperative risk factors, postoperative occurrences, mortality reports, surgical site infections, and patient variable statistics. Our institution enrolled in NSQIP July 2006. The Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) was developed to reduce surgical complications, including surgical infections.

Brain death confirmation: comparison of computed tomographic angiography with nuclear medicine perfusion scan.

Introduction: : Brain death is a difficult diagnosis to make, relying primarily on clinical examination. Ancillary tests are used when confounders exist. Nuclear medicine perfusion test (NMPT) is currently the preferred test for confirming brain death.

Four years of an aggressive prophylaxis and screening protocol for venous thromboembolism in a large trauma population.

Background: This retrospective review of a prospectively collected database was conducted to analyze the efficacy of 4 years of aggressive prophylaxis and screening protocols for venous thromboembolism (VTE) in a large population of trauma patients.

Methods: Trauma patients at a Level I Trauma Center found to be nonambulatory or otherwise high risk were placed on a protocol of lower-extremity (LE) compression devices and subcutaneous enoxaparin as soon as feasible after admission. Duplex scans of LEs were conducted weekly.