Narcotic Consumption Analysis among Severely Injured and Advanced Aged Trauma Patients.

Background: Multimodal pain management has been shown to be effective in treating pain in acutely injured trauma patients. Our community-based, level 1 trauma center previously published in 2022 the efficacy of implementing multimodal pain control (MMPC) protocol in our inpatient trauma population which decreased the use of opioids while maintaining similar pain control. The MMPC group had a trend toward higher age and was significantly less injured.

Interpersonal Violence and Social Determinants of Health.

Social determinants of health (SDOH) influence patient outcomes and risk assessment. This study focuses on interpersonal violence, trauma outcomes, and SDOH. We hypothesized patients with lower SDOH experience worse trauma outcomes and present from higher-risk communities.

Multi-modal Pain Control Protocol Decreases Narcotic Consumption in an Inpatient Trauma Population.

Introduction: Opioid use after surgery or trauma has been implicated as a contributing factor to opioid dependence. The Acute Care Surgery (ACS) service at our community-based trauma center instituted an opioid-minimizing, multi-modal pain control (MMPC) protocol. The classes of pain medication included a non-opioid analgesic, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, a gabapentinoid, a skeletal muscle relaxant, and a topical anesthetic.

Safety and Outcome of Intracranial Pressure Monitor Placement Performed by Trauma Critical Care Surgeons.

Introduction: The Brain Trauma Foundation advises intracranial pressure monitor placement (ICPM) following traumatic brain injury (TBI) with a Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score ≤8 and an abnormal head computed tomographic scan (CT) finding. Prior studies demonstrated that ICPMs could be placed by non-neurosurgeons. We hypothesized that ICPM placement by trauma critical care surgeons (TCCS) would increase appropriate utilization (AU), decrease time to placement (TTP), and have equivalent complications to those placed by neurosurgeons.

Rapid response teams: do they make a difference?

Hundreds of lives are now being saved in hospitals across the country with the use of rapid response teams. These teams are composed of clinicians who bring critical care expertise to the patient bedside. The purpose of these teams is to assess and stabilize the patient, assist with communication among the interdisciplinary care providers, educate and support the staff caring for the patient, and assist with transfer of the patient if necessary.