Unraveling quad fever: Severe hyperthermia after traumatic cervical spinal cord injury.

Purpose: There are many infectious and inflammatory causes for elevated core-body temperatures, though they rarely pass 40 ℃ (104 ℉). The term "quad fever" is used for extreme hyperpyrexia in the setting of acute cervical spinal cord injuries (SCIs). The traditional methods of treating hyperpyrexia are often ineffective and reported morbidity and mortality rates approach 100%.

Reducing Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection: The Impact of Routine Screening in the Geriatric Hip Fracture Population.

Background: Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) is a noted complication among geriatric hip fracture patients. This complication results in negative outcomes for both the patients and the institution providing care. Screening measures to identify predisposing factors, with early diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract infection (UTI) present on admission, may lead to reduced rates of CAUTI.

"It Will Work": The Story of Nina Starr Braunwald and the First Successful Mitral Valve Replacement.

Cardiothoracic surgery is a clinical and scientific discipline that has evolved enormously over the last decades. Cardiac problems that were historically death sentences can now be addressed with approaches that only continue to improve. In the late 1950s, while cardiothoracic surgery was still a nascent field, Nina Starr Braunwald emerged as a pioneer for this exponential improvement.

Does a Surgical Post-Acute Unit Help Elders With Rib Fractures? Definitely Maybe!

A surgical post-acute treatment unit (SPA) was developed for acutely injured elderly patients who no longer warranted acute care in an intensive care setting to decrease complications by focusing increased bedside attention to cognition, nutrition, respiration, and mobilization. A retrospective review was performed comparing patients 65 years and older with isolated rib fractures treated before the SPA was opened with patients treated in the SPA. The 2 populations were comparable except the SPA group had a higher mean Injury Severity Score.

Management and Outcomes of Isolated Axillary Artery Injury: A Five-Year National Trauma Data Bank Analysis.

Background: The aim of this study is to evaluate recent national trends in the clinical characteristics, management, and outcomes of patients with isolated axillary artery injuries.

Methods: The National Trauma Data Bank was queried to identify records submitted from 2011 to 2015 that contained an ICD-9-CM diagnosis code for an injury to axillary artery (903.01) and an external cause of injury code indicating blunt or penetrating trauma.