The purpose of this study was to determine whether trauma-induced coagulopathy is due to changes in 1) thrombin activity, 2) plasmin activity, and/or 3) factors that stimulate or inhibit thrombin or plasmin. Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized with 1-2% isoflurane/100% oxygen, and their left femoral artery and vein were cannulated. Polytrauma included right femur fracture, and damage to the s...

INTRODUCTION Fracture management in polytrauma patients has favoured early definitive fracture fixation with some authors advocating a staged management approach in these potentially unstable patients. We aimed to investigate the timing of surgical fracture stabilisation in polytrauma patients with significant orthopaedic injuries in a Level 1 trauma unit in South Africa (RSA) and to compare it...

We report a polytrauma case requiring simultaneous neurosurgery and laparotomy. Upon abdominal closure, raised intracranial pressure occurred. This illustrates the important physiological interplay between body compartments in critical care patients.

BACKGROUND We performed a retrospective case-control study to assess the values of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) in a large number of patients admitted to the emergency department (ED) with different types of trauma. METHODS The study population consisted of all patients aged 18 years or older admitted to the local ED with all types of traumas over a 1-year period. Results of cTnI were compared w...

14 Olivera Lupescu 8 Calea Floreasca, 1 District, 014461, Bucharest, Romania e-mail: [email protected] Abstract. Polytrauma represents an association of multiple injuries capable of inducing a systemic response and resulting in a life-threatening condition. Regardless of the different approaches and definitions, the severity of this association, determined by a specific pathophysiology,...

The initiation of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan has resulted in a new cohort of active-duty service members and veterans seeking rehabilitation care through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Service members injured in combat most often sustain multiple injuries (polytrauma) and require a unique service delivery model to meet their needs. The VA recognized this need and responded wi...

PURPOSE The emergency physicians face significant clinical uncertainty when multiple trauma patients arrive in the emergency department (ED). The priorities for assessment and treatment of polytrauma patients are established in the primary survey. Focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST) is very essential clinical skill during trauma resuscitation. Use of point of care ultrasound am...

The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have resulted in a new generation of combat survivors with complex physical injuries and emotional trauma. This article reports the initial implementation of the Polytrauma Network Site (PNS) clinic, which is a key component of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Polytrauma System of Care and serves military personnel returning from combat. The PNS clin...

The critically ill polytrauma patient presents with a series of associated pathophysiologies secondary to the traumatic injuries. The most important include systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), sepsis, oxidative stress (OS), metabolic disorders, and finally multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and death. The poor outcome of these patients is related to the association of the af...