Publications by authors named "Ralph J de Wit"

Purpose: The Berlin poly-trauma definition (BPD) has proven to be a valuable way of identifying patients with at least a 20% risk of mortality, by combining anatomical injury characteristics with the presence of physiological risk factors (PRFs). Severe isolated injuries (SII) are excluded from the BPD. This study describes the characteristics, resource use and outcomes of patients with SII according to their injured body region, and compares them with those included in the BPD.

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Objective: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the outcome of major trauma patients in the Netherlands.

Summary Background Data: Major trauma patients highly rely on immediate access to specialized services, including ICUs, shortages caused by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic may influence their outcome.

Methods: A multi-center observational cohort study, based on the Dutch National Trauma Registry was performed.

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Background: The goal of trauma systems is to match patient care needs to the capabilities of the receiving centre. Severely injured patients have shown better outcomes if treated in a major trauma centre (MTC). We aimed to evaluate patient distribution in the Dutch trauma system.

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Background: Twenty years ago, an inclusive trauma system was implemented in the Netherlands. The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of structured trauma care on the concentration of severely injured patients over time.

Methods: All severely injured patients (Injury Severity Score [ISS] ≥ 16) documented in the Dutch Trauma Registry (DTR) in the calendar period 2008-2018 were included for analysis.

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Background: The Berlin polytrauma definition (BPD) was established to identify multiple injury patients with a high risk of mortality. The definition includes injuries with an Abbreviated Injury Scale score of ≥3 in ≥2 body regions (2AIS ≥3) combined with the presence of ≥1 physiological risk factors (PRFs). The PRFs are based on age, Glasgow Coma Scale, hypotension, acidosis, and coagulopathy at specific cutoff values.

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A 24-year-old male with an idiopathic renal Fanconi syndrome presented to our ER after a low-energetic fall. Conventional imaging revealed a right subtrochanteric femoral fracture, severely decreased bone quality and cannulated collum femoris screws on the contralateral side. Regular plate-screw osteosynthesis or cephalomedullary implantation was deemed insufficient, due to a high iatrogenic and periprosthetic fracture probability.

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Article Synopsis
  • - The long-term follow-up study reassessed 73 patients from the PANTER trial, evaluating the efficacy of a surgical step-up approach for infected necrotizing pancreatitis compared to traditional open necrosectomy, with a follow-up period averaging 86 months.
  • - Results indicated that only 44% of the step-up group experienced death or major complications versus 73% in the open-necrosectomy group, alongside significantly lower rates of issues like incisional hernias and pancreatic insufficiency in the step-up group.
  • - Both groups showed similar rates in terms of needing additional drainage or surgeries, and patients reported improved quality of life without significant differences between the surgical techniques used.
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Objectives: To evaluate the effect of hemodynamic management guided by upper limits of cardiac filling volumes or pressures on durations of mechanical ventilation and lengths of stay in critically ill patients with shock.

Design: Prospective, randomized, clinical trial.

Setting: Mixed intensive care unit of a large teaching hospital and mixed intensive care unit of a tertiary care, academic medical center.

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Background: The major challenge in the management of patients with an infected open abdomen (OA) is to control septic peritonitis and intra-abdominal fluid secretion, and to facilitate repeated abdominal exploration, while preserving the fascia for delayed primary closure. We here present a novel method for closure of the infected OA, based on continuous dynamic tension, in order to achieve re-approximation of the fascial edges of the abdominal wall.

Methods: Eighteen cases with severe peritonitis of various origin (e.

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Background & Aims: Treatment of patients with necrotizing pancreatitis has become more conservative and less invasive, but there are few data from prospective studies to support the efficacy of this change. We performed a prospective multicenter study of treatment outcomes among patients with necrotizing pancreatitis.

Methods: We collected data from 639 consecutive patients with necrotizing pancreatitis, from 2004 to 2008, treated at 21 Dutch hospitals.

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Background: Necrotizing pancreatitis with infected necrotic tissue is associated with a high rate of complications and death. Standard treatment is open necrosectomy. The outcome may be improved by a minimally invasive step-up approach.

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Background: The initial treatment of acute necrotizing pancreatitis is conservative. Intervention is indicated in patients with (suspected) infected necrotizing pancreatitis. In the Netherlands, the standard intervention is necrosectomy by laparotomy followed by continuous postoperative lavage (CPL).

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