Trauma Monthly
Volume:18 Issue: 2, Sep-Oct2013

As with care giving and rehabilitation in chronic illnesses, the concern with traumatic brain injury (TBI), particularly with diffuse axonal injury (DAI), is that the caregivers are so overwhelmingly involved in caring and rehabilitation of the victim that in the process they become traumatized themselves. This review intends to shed light on the hidden and silent trauma sustained by the caregivers of severe brain injury survivors. Motor vehicle accident (MVA) is the highest contributor of TBI or DAI. The essence of trauma is the infliction of pain and suffering and having to bear the pain (i.e. by the TBI survivor) and the burden of having to take care and manage and rehabilitate the TBI survivor (i.e. by the TBI caregiver). Moreover many caregivers are not trained for their care giving task, thus compounding the stress of care giving and rehabilitating patients. Most research on TBI including DAI, focus on the survivors and not on the caregivers. TBI injury and its effects and impacts remain the core question of most studies, which are largely based on the quantitative approach.

Qualitative research can better assess human sufferings such as in the case of DAI trauma. While quantitative research can measure many psychometric parameters to assess some aspects of trauma conditions, qualitative research is able to fully reveal the meaning, ramification and experience of TBI trauma. Both care giving and rehabilitation are overwhelmingly demanding; hence , they may complicate the caregivers’ stress. However, some positive outcomes also exist.

Caregivers involved in caring and rehabilitation of TBI victims may become mentally traumatized. Posttraumatic recovery of the TBI survivor can enhance the entire family’s closeness and bonding as well as improve the mental status of the caregiver.

A long-term longitudinal study encompassing integrated research is needed to fully understand the traumatic experiences of caregivers. Unless research on TBI or DAI trauma is given its proper attention, the burden of trauma and injury on societies will continue to exacerbate globally

According to the existing literature, the Dynamic Hip Screw (DHS) is the preferred standard for the treatment of intertrochanteric fractures. However, some surgeons use other devices such as the Locking Compression Plate (LCP).

In this study, we compared the outcome of using DHS or LCP in intertrochanteric fractures.

This cross-sectional study was carried out on 104 patients who were referred to Pursina Hospital in Rasht, Iran with intertrochanteric fractures of the femur treated with either the DHS or LCP devices. Demographic features, existence or nonexistence of stability and operating time were obtained from questionnaires. During a 6-month follow-up after surgery, patients were interviewed to record variables such as Harris Hip Scores and complications. The patients were also interviewed on their final visit (between 9 and 31 postoperative months). The collected data was analyzed using SPSS.

We discovered that the number of incidences of limb shortening and device failure was higher for patients treated with the LCP device (P = 0.048 and P = 0.014). Patients treated with the DHS device had higher Harris Hip scores for both the 6-month postoperative and the final evaluation visits (P = 0.01 and P = 0.018).

Despite the complications of fixation with the DHS device, it remains the most successful for treatment of intertrochanteric fractures.

Injuries with sharps are common occupational hazards for healthcare workers. Such injuries predispose the staff to dangerous infections such as hepatitis B, C and HIV.

The present study was conducted to investigate the behaviors of healthcare workers in Kashan healthcare centers after needle sticks and injuries with sharps in 2012.

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 298 healthcare workers of medical centers governed by Kashan University of Medical Sciences. A questionnaire was used in this study. The first part included questions about demographic characteristics. The second part of the questionnaire consisted of 16 items related to the sharp instrument injuries. For data analysis, descriptive and analytical statistics (chi-square, ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficient) SPSS version 16.0 software was used.

From a total of 298 healthcare workers, 114 (38.3%) had a history of injury from needles and sharp instruments in the last six months. Most needle stick and sharp instrument injuries had occurred among the operating room nurses and midwifes; 32.5% of injuries from sharp instruments occurred in the morning shift. Needles were responsible for 46.5% of injuries. The most common actions taken after needle stick injuries were compression (27.2%) and washing the area with soap and water (15.8%). Only 44.6% of the injured personnel pursued follow-up measures after a needle stick or sharp instrument injury.

More than a half of the healthcare workers with needle stick or sharp instrument injury had refused follow-up for various reasons. The authorities should implement education programs along with protocols to be implemented after needle stick injuries or sharps.

Management of firework-related injuries is costly for the patient, society, and government.

Evaluating effective factors yielding to such injuries may lead to better management of patients and decreased costs and morbidities. Patients and Materials: This retrospective cross-sectional study was performed on burn patients referred to Shahid Motahari Burns Hospital on Charshanbeh Soori day festival during the period extending from March 2000 to March 2011 (11 days in an 11-year period). Demographic data, causes of burn injury, severity, and affected body parts were recorded. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16.

There were164 patients in the study with a mean age of 18.34 ± 9.31 years; 87% (145/164) were male. Homemade grenades were the most frequent cause of injury. Hand injury was reported in 56% (92/164) of the cases. Amputation was executed in 7 (4.3%) cases, and 6 (3.7%) patients died due to severe burn injuries and facial damage.

Fireworks- related injuries during Charshanbeh Soori ceremony causes significant morbidities and damage to different body parts (especially upper limbs and face), and some of these injuries will lead to life time disabilities, amputations, and even death. As most of the injured patients are young teenagers and children, special consideration must be taken into account to prevent long term morbidities.Abstract

Many patients are brought to crowded emergency departments (ED) of hospitals every day for evaluation of head injuries, headaches, neurologic deficits etc. CT scan of the head is the most common diagnostic measure used to search for pathologies. In many EDs the initial interpretation of images are performed by emergency physicians (EP). Since most decisions are made based on the initial interpretation of the images by emergency physicians and not the radiologists, it is necessary to assess the accuracy of interpretations made by the former group.

The objective of this study was to compare the findings reported in the interpretation of head CTs by emergency physicians and compare to radiologists (the gold standard).

This was a prospective cross sectional study conducted from March to May 2009 in a teaching hospital in Tehran, Iran. All non-contrast head CTs obtained during the study period were copied on DVDs and sent separately to a radiologist, 6 emergency medicine (EM) attending physicians and 14 senior EM residents for interpretation. Clinical information pertaining to each patient was also sent with each CT. The radiologist’s interpretation was considered as the gold standard and reference for comparison. Data from EM physicians and residents were compared with the reference as well as with each other and statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 18.5.

Out of 544 CT scans, EM physicians had 35 false negatives and 53 false positives compared with radiologist’s interpretations (P < 0.0001). EM residents had 74 false negatives and 12 false positives compared with radiologist’s interpretations (P < 0.0001).

Both EPs and ER residents either missed or falsely called a significant number of pathologies in their interpretations. The interpretations of EPs and ER residents were more sensitive and more specific, respectively. These findings revealed the need for increased training time in head CT reading for residents and the necessity of attending continuing medical education workshops for emergency physicians.

Fracture - dislocations of the talus are typically due to high energy injuries. Displaced fracture - dislocations of the talus have poor outcomes in general and complications are common. Although talar fracture is common and comprises the second most common tarsal fracture, bilateral fracture - dislocations of the talus are rare. Not many reports regarding the subject can be found in the literature.

We report a patient with bilateral fracture - dislocations of the talus treated by open reduction and internal fixation. This patient was a 25 year-old man who sustained bilateral fracture - dislocation of the talus due to a motor vehicle accident.

Bilateral talar fracture - dislocation is rare. The surgical approach discussed together with the pathomechanics of this injury can yield good short term results.

Although a few patients will survive after penetrating cardiac injuries, some of them may have unnoticeable intracardiac injuries. The combination of aorto-right ventricular fistula with aortic valve injury is rare.

A 19 year-old man referred with an aorto-right ventricular fistula accompanied with aortic regurgitation and delayed tamponade following a stab in the chest. The patient was scheduled for fistula repair, aortic valve replacement and pericardectomy two months after trauma.

To prevent missing intracardiac injury and also late cardiac injury complications, in all pericordial stab wounds, serial clinical examinations and serial echocardiography should be performed. In addition, cardiac injuries should be repaired during the same hospital stay.