Predicting Mortality in Trauma Research: Evaluating the Performance of Trauma Scoring Tools in a South African Population.

Background Trauma is a leading cause of death and disability in low-resource settings, yet trauma severity scores are seldom validated in these contexts. There is a pressing need to better characterize and compare trauma scoring tools, especially within research frameworks. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of various trauma scoring tools in predicting in-hospital mortality among trauma patients in South Africa.

Association of freeze-dried plasma with 24-h mortality among trauma patients at risk for hemorrhage.

Background: Blood products form the cornerstone of contemporary hemorrhage control but are limited resources. Freeze-dried plasma (FDP), which contains coagulation factors, is a promising adjunct in hemostatic resuscitation. We explore the association between FDP alone or in combination with other blood products on 24-h mortality.

Patterns of on-scene and healthcare system trauma deaths in the Western Cape of South Africa.

Background: Injuries account for 8% or 4.4 million deaths annually worldwide, with 90% of injury deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Inter-personal violence and road traffic injuries account for most injury deaths in South Africa, with rates among the highest globally.

Feasibility of conducting a military-relevant multicenter cohort study to assess outcomes of early trauma resuscitative interventions in a prolonged care civilian setting.

Background: The Epidemiology and Outcomes of Prolonged Trauma Care (EpiC) study is a 4-year, prospective, observational, large-scale epidemiologic study in South Africa. It will provide novel evidence on how early resuscitation impacts postinjury mortality and morbidity in patients experiencing prolonged care. A pilot study was performed to inform the main EpiC study.

Mapping access to care and identification of barriers for traumatic brain injury in a South African township.

Rationale: South Africa has a high traumatic injury burden resulting in a significant number of persons suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI is a time-sensitive condition requiring a responsive and organized health system to minimize morbidity and mortality. This study outlined the barriers to accessing TBI care in a South African township.

The epidemiology and outcomes of prolonged trauma care (EpiC) study: methodology of a prospective multicenter observational study in the Western Cape of South Africa.

Background: Deaths due to injuries exceed 4.4 million annually, with over 90% occurring in low-and middle-income countries. A key contributor to high trauma mortality is prolonged trauma-to-treatment time.

Prolonged casualty care: Extrapolating civilian data to the military context.

Background: Civilian and military populations alike are increasingly faced with undesirable situations in which prehospital and definitive care times will be delayed. The Western Cape of South Africa has some similarities in capabilities, injury profiles, resource limitations, and system configuration to US military prolonged casualty care (PCC) settings. This study provides an initial description of civilians in the Western Cape who experience PCC and compares the PCC and non-PCC populations.

An Innovative Civilian Research Model to Inform Combat-Relevant Prolonged Casualty Care.

Prolonged Casualty Care (PCC) is a major US military research focus area. PCC is defined as the need to provide patient care for extended periods when evacuation or mission requirements surpass capabilities and/or capacity. US military experts have called for more data relevant to PCC.

Brief Report: Real-World Performance and Interobserver Agreement of Urine Lipoarabinomannan in Diagnosing HIV-Associated Tuberculosis in an Emergency Center.

Background: The urine lipoarabinomannan (LAM) lateral flow assay is a point-of-care test to diagnose HIV-associated tuberculosis (TB). We assessed the performance of urine LAM in HIV-positive patients presenting to the emergency center and evaluated the interobserver agreement between emergency center physicians and laboratory technologists.

Setting: A cross-sectional diagnostic study was performed at the emergency center of a district hospital in a high HIV-prevalence community in South Africa.

The burden of intentional self-poisoning on a district-level public Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa.

Introduction: Intentional self-poisoning is a significant part of the toxicological burden experienced by emergency centres. The aim of this study was to describe all adults presenting with intentional self-poisoning over a six-month period to the resuscitation unit of Khayelitsha Hospital, Cape Town.

Methods: Adult patients with a diagnosis of intentional self-poisoning between 1 November 2014 and 30 April 2015 were retrospectively analysed after eligible patients were obtained from the Khayelitsha Hospital Emergency Centre database.

The epidemiology of major incidents in the Western Cape Province, South Africa.

Background: Major incidents put pressure on any health system. There are currently no studies describing the epidemiology of major incidents in South Africa (SA). The lack of data makes planning for major incidents and exercising of major incident plans difficult.