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Introduction The incidence of heterotopic ossification (HO) following damage control laparotomy (DCL) is unknown. Abdominal wall reconstruction may prove more challenging in patients with HO. This study examines the incidence and factors associated with HO in patients with an open abdomen following DCL. Methods A retrospective review of all patients with an open abdomen after DCL at a level 1 trauma centre from 2009 to 2015 was conducted. Demographics and peri-operative outcomes of patients with and without HO were compared. Univariate and multivariable binary logistic regression models were used to determine the association of peri-operative factors with the development of HO. Results 68 patients were included, of which 36 (53%) developed HO. On univariate analysis, development of HO was significantly associated with hollow viscus injury (OR, 3.89; CI 1.42-10.7), greater number of abdominal surgeries prior to definitive closure (OR, 1.84; CI, 1.10-3.05), non-fascial closure (OR, 4.33; CI, 1.44-13.1) and higher peak ALP (OR 1.01; CI, 1.00-1.02). The presence of a hollow viscus injury remained an independent predictor of HO on multivariable analysis after adjusting for covariates (OR, 3.77; CI, 1.22-11.6). Conclusion Heterotopic ossification develops in a high proportion of trauma patients following damage control laparotomy, particularly in the presence of hollow viscus injury. Its impact on delayed abdominal wall reconstruction and the efficacy of prophylaxis strategies merit further investigation.

Introduction Although a plethora of pediatric injury severity scoring systems is available, many of them present important challenges and limitations in the low resource setting. Our aim is to generate consensus among a group of experts regarding the optimal parameters, outcomes, and methods of estimating injury severity for pediatric trauma patients in low resource settings. Materials and methods A systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify and compare existing injury scores used in pediatric patients. Qualitative data was extracted from the systematic review, including scoring parameters, settings and outcomes. In order to establish consensus regarding which of these elements are most adapted to pediatric patients in low-resource settings, they were subjected to a modified Delphi survey for external validation. The Delphi process is a structured communication technique that relies on a panel of experts to develop a systematic, interactive consensus method. We invited a group of 38 experts, including adult and pediatric surgeons, emergency physicians and anesthesiologists trauma team leaders from a level 1 trauma center in Montreal, Canada, and a pediatric referral trauma hospital in Santiago, Chile to participate in two successive rounds of our survey. Results Consensus was reached regarding various features of an ideal pediatric trauma score. Specifically, our experts agreed pediatric trauma scoring tool should differ from its adult counterpart, that it can be derived from point of care data available at first assessment, that blood pressure is an important variable to include in a predictive model for pediatric trauma outcomes, that blood pressure is a late but specific marker of shock in pediatric patients, that pulse rate is a more sensitive marker of hemodynamic instability than blood pressure, that an assessment of airway status should be included as a predictive variable for pediatric trauma outcomes, that the AVPU classification of neurologic status is simple and reliable in the acute setting, and more so than GCS at all ages. Conclusion Therefore, we conclude that an opportunity exists to develop a new pediatric trauma score, combining the above consensus-generating ideas, that would be best adapted for use in low-resource settings.