Why do some bleeding trauma patients die after surviving the initial resuscitation? This 2019 discussion of an editorial by Karim Brohi and John Holcomb examines changing patterns of mortality, possible mechanisms of later deaths and the need to consider the whole trauma system.
JC: Why do bleeding trauma patients die? St Emlyn’s Read More
Can helicopter emergency medical services improve survival after traumatic cardiac arrest? This 2019 appraisal examines a retrospective UK cohort, distinguishing procedures and return of circulation from survival to hospital discharge, and questioning what a small, uncontrolled dataset can tell us about benefit.
JC: Can HEMS improve patient outcome in Traumatic Cardiac Arrest? St Emlyn’s Read More
Why did mortality remain so high among hypotensive patients needing emergency trauma laparotomy? Rich Carden’s 2018 discussion examines earlier studies, delays to surgery and damage control care, then explains the need for more detailed data and the planned TELA audit.
What’s the bleeding problem with trauma laparotomies?! Read More
Revisit the November 2018 St Emlyn’s podcast roundup and its accompanying reading list. Linked posts explore cognitive load, learning in the social age, a medical elective in South Africa and cardiac arrest care, with further reflections from the FemInEM Ideas Exchange.
Podcast – November 2018 Monthly Round Up Read More
Can some traumatic pneumothoraces and haemothoraces be managed without a chest drain? This 2018 appraisal examines a UK observational study, including patients receiving positive-pressure ventilation. It considers selection bias, the limits of a single-centre dataset and the importance of monitoring when conservative management is chosen.
JC: Conservative management of chest trauma. St Emlyn’s Read More
Why return to whole blood in major trauma? Zaf Qasim reviews the military experience, early civilian studies and practical challenges of introducing a whole-blood programme. This 2018 overview considers compatibility, storage and transfusion risks while acknowledging the limits of the evidence for civilian patients.
Whole Blood in Major Trauma – Everything old is new again Read More
Simon Carley shares highlights from the 2018 BASICS North West conference, spanning prehospital care, sepsis, stroke research and support for clinicians. The report ends with his torso trauma discussion, covering changing interventions, paediatric injuries, assessment of shock and the challenges of care across the patient journey.
Torso Trauma tips and the BASICS North West conference 2018. St Emlyn’s Read More
Should police transport patients with penetrating trauma when an ambulance is unavailable? This 2018 review explores Philadelphia’s experience, weighing speed and access against the absence of care en route, unpredictable arrivals and wider trauma-system risks. It considers why coordination between police, EMS and hospitals matters.
JC: “To Protect and Serve…and Drop Off”. Penetrating Trauma in Philadelphia. St Emlyn’s Read More
