Validity between self-report and biochemical testing of cannabis and drugs among patients with traumatic injury: brief report.

Background: The relationship between drug use and traumatic injury is well documented, yet only a small proportion of patients are biochemically tested for cannabis and other substances. The study objective was to determine whether patient self-report can be used as a proxy for biochemical drug testing following traumatic injury.

Methods: This study was a secondary analysis that included 320 patients admitted to four level I trauma centers in Colorado and Texas, primarily involved in motor vehicle crash (89%).

Six-year national study of damage control laparotomy and the effect of repeat re-exploration on rate of infectious complications.

Background: Damage control laparotomy (DCL) is a life-saving procedure in patients with abdominal hemorrhage. After DCL, patients are sometimes left with an open abdomen (OA) so they may undergo multiple exploratory laparotomies (EXLAP), or re-explorations. Patients with OA are at increased risk of infectious complications (ICs).

How long are mechanically ventilated patients fasted prior to surgery? An exploratory study examining preoperative fasting practices across trauma centres.

For mechanically ventilated patients undergoing surgery, interrupting enteral feeding to prevent pulmonary aspiration is common; however, there are no published preoperative fasting guidelines for these patients, resulting in fasting practices that often vary greatly between hospitals. This retrospective study described fasting practices and surgical outcomes of mechanically ventilated patients across five trauma centres. The primary exposure was hours nil per os before surgery and was stratified into short (<6h) and moderate (≥6h) fasting duration.

USMLE Scores and Clinical Rotation Role in Predicting ABSITE Performance Among Surgery Interns.

Background: The American Board of Surgery In-training Examination (ABSITE) is an important marker of medical knowledge. It is unclear what factors predict or improve these scores. We evaluated demographics, United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) step 1 and 2 scores, and surgical rotations during the intern year to determine if there were any correlations with the ABSITE performance.

High on drugs: Multi-institutional pilot study examining the effects of substance use on acute pain management.

Introduction: Substance use and abuse may have the significant, but unanticipated, consequence of lessening the efficacy of opioid analgesics for acute pain management. We hypothesized that pre-injury substance use increases opioid analgesic consumption following traumatic injury.

Methods: This retrospective multi-institutional pilot study included admitted patients to four level 1 trauma centers with vehicular trauma over four months (n = 176).

The grass is not always greener: a multi-institutional pilot study of marijuana use and acute pain management following traumatic injury.

Background: Widespread legislative efforts to legalize marijuana have increased the prevalence of marijuana use and abuse. The effects of marijuana on pain tolerance and analgesic pain management in the acute pain setting have not been reported. Although marijuana has been shown to have antinociceptive effects and is approved for medical use to treat chronic pain, anecdotal evidence suggests marijuana users admitted with traumatic injuries experience poorer pain control than patients who do not use marijuana.

Occurrence, Predictors, and Prognosis of Alcohol Withdrawal Syndrome and Delirium Tremens Following Traumatic Injury.

Objectives: We sought to determine occurrence, predictors, and prognosis of alcohol withdrawal syndrome and delirium tremens in patients with traumatic injury.

Design: Retrospective multicenter cohort study.

Setting: Three U.

The association between Chance fractures and intra-abdominal injuries revisited: a multicenter review.

The association between Chance fractures and intra-abdominal injuries is reported to be as high as 89 per cent. Because prior studies were small series or case reports, we conducted a multicenter review to learn the true association between Chance fractures and intra-abdominal injuries as well as diagnostic trends. Trauma registry data, medical records, and radiology reports from 7 trauma centers were used to characterize 79 trauma patients with Chance fractures.