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Background: One third of organ donors suffer catastrophic brain injury (CBI). There are no standard guidelines for the management of traumatic CBI prior to brain death, and not all trauma centers have institutional CBI guidelines. In addition, there is high variability in management between institutions with guidelines. Catastrophic brain injury guidelines vary and may include various combinations of hormone therapy, vasopressors, fluid resuscitation, and other practices. We hypothesized that centers with CBI guidelines have higher organ donation rates than those without., Methods: This prospective, observational EAST-sponsored multicenter trial included adult (18+ years old) traumatic-mechanism CBI patients at 33 level I and II trauma centers from January 2022 to May 2023. Catastrophic brain injury was defined as a brain injury causing loss of function above the brain stem and subsequent death. Cluster analysis with linear mixed-effects model including UNOS regions and hospital size by bed count was used to determine whether CBI guidelines are associated with organ donation., Results: A total of 790 CBI patients were included in this analysis. In unadjusted comparison, CBI guideline centers had higher rates of organ donation and use of steroids, whole blood, and hormone therapy. In a linear mixed-effects model, CBI guidelines were not associated with organ donation. Registered organ donor status, steroid hormones, and vasopressin were associated with increased relative risk of donation., Conclusion: There is high variability in management of CBI, even at centers with CBI guidelines in place. While the use of institutional CBI guidelines was not associated with increased organ donation, guidelines in this study were not identical. Hormone replacement with steroids and vasopressin was associated with increased donation. Hormone resuscitation is a common feature of CBI guidelines. Further analysis of individual practices that increase organ donation after CBI may allow for more effective guidelines and an overall increase in donation to decrease the long waiting periods for organ transplant recipients., Level of Evidence: Prognostic and Epidemiological; Level II., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background:  Adhesive small bowel obstruction (ASBO) accounts for the majority of hospitalizations related to SBO following abdominal surgery. Delays in the management of ASBO are associated with longer hospital stays and increased mortality rates, making it imperative to establish an efficient way of determining which patients need surgical intervention., Purpose: To evaluate the contribution of bedside small bowel follow-through (BSBFT) in the management of suspected ASBO., Materials and Methods: A single-site analysis of 320 patients who underwent BSBFT from August 2015 to 2019 was retrospectively performed. The presence of contrast in the colon on abdominal radiographs obtained at eight and 24 hours after administration and subsequent management (conservative versus surgical) was recorded., Results: Of the 320 BSBFT exams, 235 cases had colonic contrast present at eight hours. Twelve of those cases received surgical treatment, while the remaining 223 were managed conservatively. Forty-three cases showed colonic contrast at 24 hours despite not showing contrast at eight hours. Of these cases, 29 patients were managed conservatively, while 14 patients underwent surgery. Forty-two cases had no contrast at 24 hours, and 33 patients of those patients subsequently received surgical intervention, while nine were managed conservatively. Patients who had contrast on radiographs and underwent surgical interventions had either high clinical concern for postoperative complications or stagnant clinical progression., Conclusion: BSBFT helps determine the management for suspected ASBO. ​Patients with colonic contrast on eight- or 24-hour abdominal images were more likely to be managed conservatively. However, the clinical context is important, since clinical factors may overrule the results of the BSBFT., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. WFU Health Sciences issued approval IRB00029848. This HIPAA-compliant retrospective study was approved by the Wake Forest University Health Sciences Institutional Review Board. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Duy et al.)

Background: The Rural Trauma Team Development Course (RTTDC) is designed to help rural hospitals better organize and manage trauma patients with limited resources. Although RTTDC is well-established, limited literature exists regarding improvement in the overall objectives for which the course was designed. The aim of this study was to analyze the goals of RTTDC, hypothesizing improvements in course objectives after course completion., Methods: This was a prospective, observational study from 2015 through 2021. All hospitals completing the RTTDC led by our Level 1, academic trauma hospital were included. Our institutional database was queried for individual patient data. Cohorts were delineated before and after RTTDC was provided to the rural hospital. Basic demographics were obtained. Outcomes of interest included: Emergency Department (ED) dwell time, decision time to transfer, number of total images/computed tomography scans obtained, and mortality. Chi square and non-parametric median test were used. Significance was set at P < .05., Results: Sixteen rural hospitals were included with a total of 472 patients transferred (240 before and 232 after). Patient demographics were similar before and after RTTDC. ED dwell time was significantly reduced by 64 min ( P = .003) and decision to transfer time was cut by 62 min ( P = .004) after RTTDC. Mean total radiographic images and CT scans were significantly reduced ( P < .001 and P = .002, respectively) after RTTDC. Mortality was unaffected by RTTDC completion ( P = .941)., Conclusion: The RTTDC demonstrates decreased ED dwell time, decision time to transfer, and number of radiographic images obtained prior to transfer. More rural hospitals should be offered this course., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This research was presented via podium presentation during the 36th Annual Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma Annual Scientific Assembly, Lake Buena Vista, FL on January 17th-21st. Dr Zachary Bauman is a paid educational consultant for KLS-Martin, Zimmer-Biomet, Smith & Nephew, and Atricure.

Background: In adhesive small bowel obstructions (ASBOs), literature has shown that passage of a water-soluble contrast challenge at either 8 hours or 24 hours is predictive of successful non-operative management (NOM) for an ASBO, but the long-term outcomes between these two groups are unknown. We hypothesized that patients who require longer transit times to the colon have a higher one-year recidivism of ASBO., Methods: This was a 4-year review of patients with presumed ASBO undergoing successful NOM. Those requiring operation or those with an SBO due to something other than adhesions were excluded. Patients were divided into two groups (8 hour and 24 hour) based on when contrast reached their right colon. Patients were followed for one year to determine ASBO recurrence., Results: 137 patients underwent NOM; 112 in the 8-hour group and 25 in the 24-hour group. One-year recurrence rate was 21.4% in the 8-hour group and 40% in the 24-hour group ( P = 0.05). The median time to recurrence was 113 days in the 8-hour group and 13 days in the 24-hour group ( P = 0.02). Of those who recurred in the 24-hour group, 60% recurred within 30 days ( P = 0.01). On univariable analysis, first-time ASBO and 24-hour transit time were risk factors for recurrence., Conclusions: Adhesive small bowel obstruction patients undergoing NOM in the 24-hour group had a recurrence rate nearly twice that of patients in the 8-hour group and may benefit from an operative exploration during the index hospitalization at the 8-hour mark of a water-soluble contrast challenge, especially if experiencing a first-time ASBO., 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: Accuracy of imaging modalities for gallbladder disease(GBD) remains questionable. We hypothesize ultrasonography(US), computed tomography(CT), and magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) poorly correlate with final pathologic analysis., Methods: This was a retrospective review of all patients who underwent cholecystectomy at our institution. Primary outcome was agreement between US, CT, and MRI, and final pathology report of the gallbladder. Cohen's Kappa statistic was used to describe the level of agreement (0 = agreement equivalent to chance, 0.1-0.2 = slight agreement, 0.21-0.40 = minimal/fair agreement, 0.41-0.60 = moderate agreement, 0.61-0.80 = substantial agreement, 0.81-0.99 = near perfect agreement, 1 = perfect agreement). Significance was set at p < 0.05., Results: 1107 patients were enrolled. Average age was 48.6(±17.6); 64.2% were female. There was minimal agreement between the three imaging modalities and final pathology (US = 0.363; CT = 0.223; MRI = 0.351;p < 0.001)., Conclusion: Poor agreement exists between imaging modalities and final pathology report for GBD. Urgent surgical intervention for patients presenting with symptoms of GBD should be considered, despite imaging results., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None of the authors have any conflicts of interest at this time., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Early debridement improves outcome in necrotizing soft tissue infection (NSTI), but there is no consensus on duration of antimicrobial therapy. We recently changed practice to discontinue antibiotic agents early with a goal of 48 hours after adequate source control. We hypothesized that discontinuing antibiotic agents after a short course is safe in the treatment of NSTI. Patients and Methods: This was a prospective study of patients with NSTI comparing short duration of antibiotic agents to a control population after a change in practice. In 2018 we began discontinuing antibiotic agents within 48 hours of source control (absence of cellulitis and no evidence of active infection). Previously, antibiotic duration was at the discretion of the attending surgeon (generally 7-10 days). Patients were excluded from analysis if they were initially debrided at a referring facility, immune compromised, or died prior to source control. Patient characteristics and outcomes were evaluated. The primary outcome was treatment failure requiring antibiotic agents to be restarted with or without further debridement of infected tissue. Secondary outcomes included the duration of antibiotic therapy after source control. Results: We evaluated 151 patients; 119 admitted between January 1, 2011 and January 31, 2018 (PRE) and 32 admitted after January 31, 2018 (POST). Patients were not statistically different regarding characteristics, admission physiologic variables, and comorbidities. The median duration of antibiotic agents after source control in the PRE group was 180.3 hours (interquartile range [IQR], 100.7-318.8) versus 48 hours (IQR, 32.3-100.8) in the POST group (p < 0.01). Patients in each group were treated as described above, and treatment failure occurred in seven (5.9%) PRE patients and two (6.3%) POST (99.3% post hoc power at non-inferiority limit 20%, significance p < 0.05). Thirty-day all-cause mortality was not different between groups (6.7% vs. 6.3%; p = 0.94). Conclusions: Short-duration (48 hours) antibiotic agents after NSTI source control is as safe and effective as a longer course.

Surgeons care deeply about their patients, their patient's surgical outcomes, and their fund of knowledge as it relates to disease, treatment options, and risk is remarkable. Unfortunately, surgical patients' values, hopes, fears, and unacceptable levels of suffering are rarely elicited and addressed while constructing surgical treatment plans, even when the stakes are high. How can surgeons bring all their experience, education, and expertise to bear in a patient-centered manner amidst uncertainty? Surgeons typically emulate mentors who either employed a solely informative, facilitative, or directive/paternalistic approach to decision-making. These 3 styles fail to simultaneously address: (1) what matters most to patients and (2) the surgeon's expertise. Since communication in each of these 3 approaches is unidirectional, and the decisional power locus is imbalanced, they are unshared, nonpartnering, and-perhaps surprisingly-not patient-centered. Patient-centered, collaborative shared decision-making (SDM) approaches align with palliative care principles and are rarely employed, taught, or modeled. Furthermore, nonpartnering approaches to surgical decision-making are often laden with unintended consequences, such as patient and family suffering and the suffering of surgeons. We present the high-risk case of an abdominal gunshot wound in a morbidly obese man, which was complicated by 3 enterocutaneous fistulae and a loss of abdominal wall integrity, where ongoing empathic, partnering SDM dialogue is enabling a patient-centered and value-concordant care plan. The authors invite you to virtually journey with us as this case unfolds, as the impending surgical decisions are substantial and weighty. Uncertainty and risks appear at every turn-providing additional challenges to overcome.