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24/7 critical care staffing has become more commonplace, and their impact on resident training must be carefully considered. At our institution, the Critical Care Resource Intensivist (CCRI) model was implemented to provide in-house dedicated faculty responsible solely for the provision of critical care overnight. An anonymous survey was distributed to all general surgery residents to evaluate CCRI's impact on education and autonomy. Descriptive statistics were completed for quantitative data. Qualitative analysis of free text responses was completed to identify consensus themes. Responses from 26 residents demonstrated they associated CCRI with improved resident education, supervision, and patient care, without limiting autonomy. Qualitative analysis yielded 7 themes, reflecting improvements in patient care and safety, progression of care, operations and procedures, improved education, availability, and independence , but noted potential for conflict . Our findings show 24/7 dedicated intensivist staffing can enhance general surgery resident education without limiting autonomy., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

At a large academic level 1 trauma center, an additional resource was added at night, the Critical Care Resource Intensivist (CCRI), which is a multi-disciplinary group of fellowship trained intensivists. Prior to implementation of this additional resource, concurrent to implementation and one-year post implementation, critical care (CC) nurses that provide care in the surgical, neurologic, medical, and cardiac intensive care units (ICU) were anonymously surveyed to evaluate the CCRI model from a nursing perspective. Survey results were aggregated via an electronic cloud-based survey tool. Our goal was to obtain qualitative data to inform hypothesis generation and quality improvement questions. As such, we collected free-text answers to the questions, "Do you ever have concerns about availability of faculty in the ICU?" and, "Do you have any suggestions or comments after implementation of CCRI?" Answers were categorized into pre- and postCCRI strata. When coding the data, the investigators found a total of 9 themes that connected all the free-text survey. The themes included faculty accessibility, nurse safety, satisfaction, continuum of care and patient safety, to name a few. CCRI was uniformly and unanimously felt to improve patient care and decrease provider stress, because of improved availability and responsiveness of cc-faculty. The need to expand the CCRI model across institutional campuses was also stated clearly within their responses. These surveys demonstrate the strong support for the CCRI model by CC nurse providers. Further studies should investigate the effects of CCRI on nurse provider burnout and turnover, especially given recent crises in nursing., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: There is significant data in the medical and surgical literature supporting the correlations between positive volume balance and negative outcomes such as AKI, prolonged mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit and hospital length of stay and increased mortality., Methods: This single-center, retrospective chart review included adult patients identified from a Trauma Registry database. The primary outcome was the total ICU LOS. Secondary outcomes include hospital LOS, ventilator-free days, incidence of compartment syndrome, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), renal replacement therapy (RRT), and days of vasopressor therapy., Results: In general, baseline characteristics were similar between groups with the exception of mechanism of injury, FAST exam, and disposition from the ED. The ICU LOS was shortest in the negative fluid balance and longest in the positive fluid balance group (4 days vs 6 days, P = .001). Hospital LOS was also shorter in the negative balance group than that of the positive balance group (7 days vs 12 days, P < .001). More patients in the positive balance group experienced acute respiratory distress syndrome compared to the negative balance group (6.3% vs 0%, P = .004). There was no significant difference in the incidence of renal replacement therapy, days of vasopressor therapy, or ventilator-free days., Discussion: A negative fluid balance at seventy-two hours was associated with a shorter ICU and hospital LOS in critically ill trauma patients. Our observed correlation between positive volume balance and total ICU days merits further exploration with prospective, comparative studies of lower volume resuscitation to key physiologic endpoints compared with routine standard of care.

In 2020, the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) published a revision of the organ injury scale (OIS) for bowel injuries. The update included for the first time a separate OIS for penetrating colon injuries as well as imaging criteria. To validate the new OIS and its correlation with outcomes, we performed a retrospective review of patients with penetrating colon injuries (AIS<3 in other body regions) between 2016 and 2020 at a single institution. Sixty-six patients met inclusion criteria. Most were young (29 years median) and male (90%). All underwent operative intervention and 23 (34%) had pre-operative imaging. Imaging grade was higher than operative grade in 11 patients (48%). Higher AAST operative grade was associated with a higher likelihood of resection and anastomosis or colostomy, need for damage control laparotomy, and development of intra-abdominal abscess and acute kidney injury. A multicenter study is underway to confirm these findings.

Background: Direct correlations between platelet adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and arachidonic acid (AA) receptor inhibition have been described in the traumatic brain injury (TBI) population. Our goal was to evaluate the percent inhibition of ADP receptor inhibition (ADPri) and AA receptor inhibition (AAri) receptors in non-TBI patients and correlate injury severity and outcomes., Methods: We performed a retrospective review of non-TBI patients admitted to our trauma center, who received thromboelastography with platelet mapping prior to blood transfusion. Exclusion criteria included patients younger than 18 years, current antiplatelet therapy, or history of renal failure. Univariate descriptive statistics and bivariate comparisons were performed on patient demographic and outcomes. Multivariable linear regression models were constructed to quantify any association between ADPri and AAri with injury outcomes. High ADP inhibition was defined >20% and high AA inhibition >7%., Results: 117 patients met inclusion criteria. Mean age was 53 years with 61% male. Mean ADPri was 64% and AAri 42%. On bivariate analysis, no statistically significant differences with respect to injury severity measures or outcomes were identified. On multivariable linear regression, AAri was associated with longer hospital length of stay., Discussion: There was a high degree of platelet dysfunction in this cohort of severely injured patients without TBI. Despite this, the only correlation identified between injury severity and outcomes was AAri correlating with hospital length of stay. Irrespective of injury severity or outcomes, these patients' results were far from reported "normal" values. Further, research is needed to determine the significance and clinical implications of thromboelastography with platelet mapping use in trauma care.

Current quality measures intended to drive improved clinical performance are perceived as an inappropriate administrative burden. Surgeon-constructed quality measures, including the NSQIP, are more closely aligned with provider performance and relevant outcome. We hypothesized that NSQIP participation would be associated with measurable improvement in surgical outcomes. Elective general surgical cases were compared by case volume and incidence of postoperative adverse events (AEs) from 2014 to 2017. Using the Clavien-Dindo severity scaling system, we summed the grades for each AE and defined the patient population burden of these AEs as this sum divided by case volume. Case volume samples increased 67 per cent from 2014 (n = 526, 30 day complete) to 2017 (n = 878). Ratio of patient burden to case volume improved from 0.92 (2014) to 0.73 (2017). Comparison of AE incidence was not significantly different; however, the majority decreased over time. Analysis of individual AE interval change identified sepsis-related respiratory care as the top priority performance improvement target. These data reflect improved performance for a growing volume of surgical procedures. The impact of perioperative morbidity and their associated burden on affected patients has decreased, demonstrating the value of combining NSQIP with Clavien-Dindo to measure the quality of surgical care in objective and patient-specific terms.

To determine whether low-income status as demonstrated by insurance type has any association with aggressive tumor biology and breast cancer outcomes. Retrospective review of 535 women with new diagnosis of breast cancer from January 2009 to March 2013 was performed. There was no significant association between race and stage at diagnosis. Women with Medicaid/Charity coverage were diagnosed at more advanced stages, more likely to have triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), and had longer time to treatment. Rate of TNBC was higher in black women and younger patients. There was no significant difference in breast cancer recurrence or survival by race, insurance type, age, or tumor biology. In multivariable analysis, only black race (P = 0.003) and Medicaid/Charity Insurance (P = 0.0008) were the most significant predictors of TNBC. Presentation of aggressive tumor biology and advanced stage is strongly associated with socioeconomic factors as reflected by Medicaid funding and lack of insurance.

Diaphragmatic, lumbar, and extra-thoracic hernias are well-described complications of blunt trauma. However, in the absence of an immediate indication for surgery in the injured patient, early recognition of these hernias can be a diagnostic challenge and delayed presentation is common. Upon diagnosis, surgical repair is necessary secondary to the high morbidity and mortality associated with herniation and strangulation of abdominal organs. Surgical treatment of these hernias is evolving and a variety of options are available to the surgeon. This article will provide a historical overview of post-traumatic diaphragmatic and multi-cavity hernias, and a review of the literature addressing key issues of diagnosis and management.