Damage-control vascular surgery in Canada: supporting surgeons and teams.

In Canada, trauma patients often present initially to non-trauma hospitals without vascular surgeons on site. Local surgeons need skills and support for damage-control vascular surgery. Canadian training programs in general surgery should equip trainees with skills in this area, including resuscitation, identification of vascular injury, hemorrhage control, and temporizing measures (e.

Evaluating Best Methods for Crisis Resource Management Education: Didactic Teaching or Noncontextual Active Learning.

Introduction: Health care training traditionally focuses on medical knowledge; however, this is not the only component of successful patient management. Nontechnical skills, such as crisis resource management (CRM), have significant impact on patient care. This study examines whether there is a difference in CRM skills taught by traditional lecture in comparison with low-fidelity simulation consisting of noncontextual learning through team problem-solving activities.

A Ten year review of alcohol use and major trauma in a Canadian province: still a major problem.

Background: Alcohol plays a significant role in major traumatic injuries. While the role of alcohol in motor vehicle trauma (MVT) is well described, its role and approaches to prevention in other injury mechanisms is less defined.

Methods: A 10 year retrospective examination of Alberta Trauma Registry (ATR) data was conducted on all major trauma patients (age ≥ 9 and ISS ≥ 12) from 2001-2010.

The right treatment at the right time in the right place: a population-based, before-and-after study of outcomes associated with implementation of an all-inclusive trauma system in a large Canadian province.

Objective: To evaluate the implementation of an all-inclusive philosophy of trauma care in a large Canadian province.

Background: Challenges to regionalized trauma care may occur where transport distances to level I trauma centers are substantial and few level I centers exist. In 2008, we modified our predominantly regionalized model to an all-inclusive one with the hopes of increasing the role of level III trauma centers.

Compliance to advanced trauma life support protocols in adult trauma patients in the acute setting.

Introduction: Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) protocols provide a common approach for trauma resuscitations. This was a quality review assessing compliance with ATLS protocols at a Level I trauma center; specifically whether the presence or absence of a trauma team leader (TTL) influenced adherence.

Methods: This retrospective study was conducted on adult major trauma patients with acute injuries over a one-year period in a Level I Canadian trauma center.

A multicenter review of deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis practice patterns for blunt hepatic trauma.

Background: Non-operative management of blunt hepatic trauma is successful in the majority of hemodynamically stable patients. Due to the risk of recurrent hemorrhage, pharmacologic deep venous thrombosis (DVT) prophylaxis is often delayed. The optimal timing of prophylaxis is unclear.