Potentially preventable prehospital deaths from motor vehicle collisions.

Background: In 2011, about 30,000 people died in motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) in the United States. We sought to evaluate the causes of prehospital deaths related to MVCs and to assess whether these deaths were potentially preventable.

Methods: Miami-Dade Medical Examiner records for 2011 were reviewed for all prehospital deaths of occupants of 4-wheeled motor vehicle collisions.

Etiology of fatal thoracic aortic injuries: Secondary data analysis.

Objectives: Motor vehicle crashes remain a leading cause of death in the United States (US). Thoracic aortic dissection due to blunt trauma remains a major injury mechanism, and up to 90% of these injuries result in death on the scene. The objective of this study is to understand the modern risk factors and etiology of fatal thoracic aortic injuries in the current US fleet.

The benefits and tradeoffs for varied high-severity injury risk thresholds for advanced automatic crash notification systems.

Objectives: The objectives of this study are to (1) characterize the population of crashes meeting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-recommended 20% risk of Injury Severity Score (ISS)>15 injury and (2) explore the positive and negative effects of an advanced automatic crash notification (AACN) system whose threshold for high-risk indications is 10% versus 20%.

Methods: Binary logistic regression analysis was performed to predict the occurrence of motor vehicle crash injuries at both the ISS>15 and Maximum Abbreviated Injury Scale (MAIS) 3+ level. Models were trained using crash characteristics recommended by the CDC Committee on Advanced Automatic Collision Notification and Triage of the Injured Patient.

Identifying pitfalls in chest tube insertion: improving teaching and performance.

Objective: Chest tube thoracostomies are common surgical procedures, but little is known about how practitioners learn the skill. This study evaluates the frequency with which correctly performed tasks are executed by subjects during chest tube thoracostomies.

Design: In this prospective study, we developed a mobile-learning module, containing stepwise multimedia guidance on chest tube insertion.

Usability of telepresence in a level 1 trauma center.

Objectives: Limited resources and the diminishing physician workforce in trauma require unique and innovative solutions. Our hypothesis is that telepresence by a remote physician is an appropriate application in an urban trauma setting. The purpose of this study is to assess user satisfaction and usability of a mobile telemedicine robot in trauma care.

Knowledge and usability of a trauma training system for general surgery residents.

Background: Resident work-hour restrictions challenge educators to supplement residents' surgical education. We evaluated a computer-based trauma surgery system's ability to increase residents' surgical knowledge.

Methods: Modules on thoracic and abdominal surgical approaches were evaluated.

Influence of social networking websites on medical school and residency selection process.

Background: Social networking (SN) has become ubiquitous in modern culture. The potential consequences of revealing personal information through SN websites are not fully understood.

Objective: To assess familiarity with, usage of, and attitudes towards, SN websites by admissions offices at US medical schools and residency programmes.

Fatal falls in an ethnically diverse urban community: the link between demographic factors and the circumstances surrounding fatal falls.

Objectives: Fatal falls cause more than 15,000 deaths per year in the United States. Despite this, the circumstances surrounding fatal falls in elderly adults are poorly understood. It is unknown whether these circumstances differ across ethnicities, although Hispanic American individuals are at reduced risk for fatal falls.

Use of mobile learning module improves skills in chest tube insertion.

Background: Just-In-Time Learning is a concept increasingly applied to medical education, and its efficacy must be evaluated.

Materials And Methods: A 3-minute video on chest tube insertion was produced. Consenting participants were assigned to either the video group, which viewed the video on an Apple® iPod Touch immediately before chest tube insertion, or the control group, which received no instruction.

Training forward surgical teams: do military-civilian collaborations work?

Unlabelled: The US Army and the Ryder Trauma Center (Jackson Memorial Hospital, Miami, Florida) teamed up to provide a training environment (ie, the Army Trauma Training Center) in which forward surgical teams can attend to gain critical teamwork and trauma technical skills to prepare for deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan. The purpose of this study was to gather trainee reactions to the military-civilian collaboration provided at ATTC after deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan.

Methods: Survey respondents were 135 US Army personnel (an approximately 50% response rate) who participated in the ATTC 2-week team training program between January 2005 and June 2007.