Open access
Open access
The Effectiveness of Antiepileptic Medications as Prophylaxis of Early Seizure in Traumatic Brain Injury Patients Compared to Placebo or No Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis – World Neurosurgery (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Early seizure prophylaxis with antiepileptics in TBI has only modest effects – Univadis (free registration required)
Level 3 guideline on the treatment of patients with severe/multiple injuries – German Trauma Society (free)
News Release: The updated German “Polytrauma – Guideline”: an extensive literature evaluation and treatment recommendation for the care of the critically injured patient (free)
Source: Critical Care Reviews Newsletter
“Laparoscopic cholecystectomy compared with percutaneous catheter drainage reduced the rate of major complications in high risk patients with acute cholecystitis.”
Commentary: Comparing Laparoscopic Lavage vs Resection for Perforated Diverticulitis – Medscape (free registration required)
Five-Year Follow-up of Antibiotic Therapy for Uncomplicated Acute Appendicitis in the APPAC Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Podcast: Treating Appendicitis Without Surgery – 5-Year Follow-up from a Randomized Clinical Trial of Antibiotic Treatment (free)
Video Summary: Five-Year Follow-up of Patients Given Antibiotic Therapy for Uncomplicated Acute Appendicitis (free)
Commentaries: Pills for appendicitis? Surgery often not needed, study says – STAT (free) AND Antibiotics Alone Seem Reasonable for Uncomplicated Appendicitis in Adults – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Appendicitis? Antibiotics May Be All You Need – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Related: Randomized clinical trial of antibiotic therapy for uncomplicated appendicitis (link to abstract and commentaries) AND Antibiotics Versus Surgical Therapy for Uncomplicated Appendicitis (link to abstract and commentaries) AND Antibiotic Therapy versus Appendectomy for Acute Uncomplicated Appendicitis (free study and commentaries) AND New appendicitis guideline incorporates the possibility of non-operative treatment for uncomplicated disease (free guideline)
Management of Chronic Wounds—2018 – JAMA (free for a limited period)
Infant Walker–Related Injuries in the United States – Pediatrics (free)
News Release: Study: Infant walker injuries support AAP’s call for a ban (free)
Commentaries: As Injuries Continue, Doctors Renew Call For Ban On Infant Walkers – NPR (free) AND Injuries associated with infant walkers still sending children to the emergency department – Nationwide Children’s Hospital (free)
Commentaries: CDC releases updated guideline on diagnosis and management of pediatric mTBI – Kennedy Krieger Institute, via EurekAlert (free) AND CDC Seeks to Standardize Mild TBI Management in Kids – MedPage Today (free registration required) AND New advice on kids’ concussions calls for better tracking – Associated Press (free) AND CDC issues first guidelines to treat youth concussions – CNN (free)
Management of Groin Hernias in Adults—2018 – JAMA (free for a limited period)
Association Between Traumatic Brain Injury and Risk of Suicide – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Traumatic brain injury tied to increased risk of suicide – Reuters (free) AND Risk of Suicide Increases After TBI, Study Finds – Psychiatric News Alert (free) AND Expert reaction to traumatic brain injury and suicide – Science Media Centre (free)
Prehospital Plasma during Air Medical Transport in Trauma Patients at Risk for Hemorrhagic Shock – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Giving Plasma to Trauma Patients with Severe Bleeding During Air Transport Saves Lives – Health Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh, via NewsWise (free)
Richard Smith: Reducing global road traffic crashes and injuries – The BMJ Opinion (free)
Related reports: The High Toll of Traffic Injuries : Unacceptable and Preventable – The World Bank (free PDF) AND Save LIVES: a road safety technical package (free) AND Unfinished Journey: The Global Health Response to Children & Road Traffic – FIA Foundation (free PDF) AND Securing safe roads: the politics of change – World Resources Institute Ross Center for Sustainable Cities (free news release and PDF)
Negative pressure wound therapy for open traumatic wounds – Cochrane Library (free)
Summary: Negative pressure wound therapy for open traumatic wounds – Cochrane Library (free)
Related Research: Randomized Trial: Negative Pressure Wound Therapy No Better Than Regular Dressing in Severe Open Fracture of the Lower Limb (link to abstract and commentaries)
Mesh repair of small umbilical hernias reduces recurrence compared to sutures – NIHR Signal (free)
Original Article: Mesh versus suture repair of umbilical hernia in adults: a randomised, double-blind, controlled, multicentre trial – The Lancet (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Association of Preprocedural Fasting With Outcomes of Emergency Department Sedation in Children – JAMA Pediatrics (free for a limited period)
Commentaries: Preprocedural Fasting Not Necessary for Children in ED – Medscape (free registration required) AND Pre-Sedation Guidelines for Kids May Be Too Strict – MedPage Today (free registration required)
Related: NPO for sedation? Don’t swallow the myth – First10Em (free)
Age and sex of surgeons and mortality of older surgical patients: observational study – The BMJ (free)
Editorial: Links between age and sex of surgeons and patients’ outcomes (free)
Commentary: Study Suggests Older Surgeons Produce Lower Mortality Rates in Emergency Procedures – UCLA, via NewsWise (free)
Simplifying the use of prognostic information in traumatic brain injury – Journal of Neurosurgery
Part 1: The GCS-Pupils score: an extended index of clinical severity (free)
Part 2: Graphical presentation of probabilities (free)
Commentaries: New Glasgow Coma Scale–Pupils Score and Multifactor Probability Outcome Charts for Use in Patients with TBI – Journal of Neurosurgery, via NewsWise (free) AND New scoring system will speed up assessment of brain injuries – OnMedica (free) AND Glasgow Coma Scale Gets an Eye-Opening Update – Medscape (free registration required)
Pancreatitis: Pearls & Pitfalls – emDocs (free)
Related guidelines: American Gastroenterological Association Institute Guideline on Initial Management of Acute Pancreatitis – Gastroenterology (free) AND Clinical practice guideline: management of acute pancreatitis – Canadian Journal of Surgery (free)
Commentary: Meta-Analysis Favors Antibiotics After Drainage of Skin Abscesses – NEJM Journal Watch (free)
See related guideline with infographic: Antibiotics after incision and drainage for uncomplicated skin abscesses: a clinical practice guideline – The BMJ (free) AND Meta-Analysis: Antibiotics for uncomplicated skin abscesses: systematic review and network meta-analysis – BMJ Open (free)
Long-term risk of dementia among people with traumatic brain injury in Denmark: a population-based observational cohort study – The Lancet Psychiatry (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Study confirms link between traumatic brain injury and dementia – UW Medicine, via EurekAlert (free) AND Traumatic brain injury increases risk of dementia – OnMedica (free) AND Brain injury may increase dementia risk – NHS Choices (free)
Related articles: Traumatic brain injury and the risk of dementia diagnosis: A nationwide cohort study – PLOS One (free) AND Clinicopathological Evaluation of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in Players of American Football – JAMA (free)
Association of Whole-Body Computed Tomography With Mortality Risk in Children With Blunt Trauma – JAMA Pediatrics (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Whole-Body CT Scans Don’t Appear to Improve Survival in Kids with Blunt Trauma – NEJM Physician’s First Watch (free) AND CT Pan-Scan: No Mortality Benefit in Kids With Blunt Trauma – Medscape (free registration required) AND Whole body CT doesn’t cut mortality in peds blunt trauma – MedicalXpress (free)
Report: Securing safe roads: the politics of change – World Resources Institute Ross Center for Sustainable Cities (free news release and PDF)
Commentary: Death Toll On World’s Roads Grows, But Not Will To Stop It, New Report Finds – Forbes (free)
Related World Bank Report: The High Toll of Traffic Injuries : Unacceptable and Preventable – The World Bank (free PDF)
Related WHO Report: Save LIVES: a road safety technical package (free)
Source: International Health Policies Newsletter (free PDF)
Cost-effectiveness of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Cervical Clearance of Obtunded Blunt Trauma After a Normal Computed Tomographic Finding – JAMA Surgery (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Neck injury follow-up MRI may cost patients thousands in unnecessary exams – HealthImaging (free) AND No Benefit for MRI After Normal Cervical CT in Blunt Trauma – Physician’s Briefing (free)
Venous Thromboembolism Prevention in Emergency General Surgery: A Review – JAMA Surgery (free for a limited period)
Commentary: VTE Risk Up in Most Emergency General Surgery Patients – Physician’s Weekly (free)
Pediatric Hoverboard and Skateboard Injuries – Pediatrics (free)
Commentaries: More Than 26,000 Children Treated for Hoverboard Injuries in 2015-2016 – American Academy of Pediatrics (free) AND Hoverboards Tied to Nearly 27,000 Pediatric Injuries in First 2 Years on Market – NEJM Physician’s First Watch (free)
Secondary Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adolescents 5 to 10 Years After Traumatic Brain Injury – JAMA Pediatrics (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Traumatic Brain Injury Tied to Later ADHD in Kids – NEJM Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Childhood Brain Injuries May be Linked to ADHD Years Later – MedPage Today (free registration required) AND TBI Predisposes Kids To Attention Deficit Problems, Even Years After Injury – MedicalResearch.com (free)
Mesh versus suture repair of umbilical hernia in adults: a randomised, double-blind, controlled, multicentre trial – The Lancet (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Incidence of Delayed Intracranial Hemorrhage in Older Patients After Blunt Head Trauma – JAMA Surgery (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Source: Repeat Head CT or Admission for Delayed Head Bleed Is Wasteful – NEJM Journal Watch ($)
Are you ready for the ATLS 10th Edition Updates? – emDocs (free)
Related: Infographic: ATLS Trauma Update 2018
Infographic: ATLS Trauma Update 2018 (free) (via @CritCareReviews)
Rapid Recommendations: Antibiotics after incision and drainage for uncomplicated skin abscesses: a clinical practice guideline – The BMJ (free text and infographics)
Early use of tranexamic acid reduces bleeding more effectively – NIHR Signal (free)
Original article: Effect of treatment delay on the effectiveness and safety of antifibrinolytics in acute severe haemorrhage: a meta-analysis of individual patient-level data from 40 138 bleeding patients – The Lancet (free) AND Invited Commentary: Tranexamic acid: is it about time? (free)
“It is now clearer that every 15-minute delay after the first hour can reduce survival by about 10%”.
Commentary: Evidence Supports ‘Weekend Effect’ for Mortality after Surgery – Wolters Kluwer, via NewsWise (free)
“The odds of postoperative mortality were 27 percent higher for patients admitted to the hospital on Saturday or Sunday, compared to those hospitalized on a weekday” (from NewsWise).
Chemical venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in neurosurgical patients: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis – Journal of Neurosurgery (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Chemical venous thromboembolism prophylaxis seems to be effective and safe in neurosurgical patients.
Source: EvidenceAlerts
Report: The High Toll of Traffic Injuries : Unacceptable and Preventable – The World Bank (free PDF) (via @equitylist)
Press release: Road Deaths and Injuries Hold Back Economic Growth in Developing Countries (free)
Key Findings: The High Toll of Traffic Injuries : Unacceptable and Preventable – The World Bank (free)
Author Interview: Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Surgeons and Interventionalists (free)
Commentary: Work-Related Musculoskeletal Injury Common in Surgeons, Interventionalists – Medscape (free registration required)
Association Between Wait Time and 30-Day Mortality in Adults Undergoing Hip Fracture Surgery – JAMA (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Delaying Surgery for Hip Fracture for More Than One Day Associated with Small Increased Risk of Death – The JAMA Network (free) AND Delaying Hip Fracture Surgery for 1 Day Tied to Higher Mortality Risk – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Emergency Hip Surgery Best Done Within 24 Hours – Medscape (free registration required)
Direct medical costs of motorcycle crashes in Ontario – Canadian Medical Association Journal (free)
Commentaries: Motorcycle crashes cause 5 times as many deaths as car accidents, 6 times the health costs – CMAJ, via EurekAlert (free) AND Motorcycle crashes are alarmingly common — and incredibly costly – STAT (free)
European guidelines on perioperative venous thromboembolism prophylaxis (free PDF articles):
– Patients with preexisting coagulation disorders and after severe perioperative bleeding
– Cardiovascular and thoracic surgery
– Surgery in the obese patient
– Surgery during pregnancy and the immediate postpartum period
– Day surgery and fast-track surgery
– Chronic treatments with antiplatelet agents
– Aspirin
Commentaries: Tranexamic acid: is it about time? – The Lancet (free) Rapid use of blood drug could save thousands of lives, study finds – The Guardian (free) AND Severely bleeding patients must receive lifesaving drug within minutes, not hours – London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, via EurekAlert (free)
Percutaneous cholecystostomy in the management of high-risk patients presenting with acute cholecystitis: Timing and outcome at a single institution – American Journal of Surgery (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Percutaneous Cholecystostomy: An Alternative to Urgent Surgery for Cholecystitis? – Medscape (free registration required)
Stair-related injuries treated in United States emergency departments – The American Journal of Emergency Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Injuries on stairs occur in all age groups and abilities – Reuters (free)
Simple preventive actions by parents linked to fewer child injuries – NIHR Signal (free)
Original article: Keeping Children Safe: a multicentre programme of research to increase the evidence base for preventing unintentional injuries in the home in the under-fives – Programme Grants for Applied Research (free)
“Children more than twice as likely to attend hospital for stair falls if safety gate not used. Home hazards studied” (RT @NIHR_DC see Tweet)
Managing Head Trauma in Children – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Related Articles: Reducing Head CT Use for Children With Head Injuries in a Community Emergency Department – Pediatrics (link to abstract – $ for full-text) AND Development and Internal Validation of a Clinical Risk Score for Treating Children With Mild Head Trauma and Intracranial Injury – JAMA Pediatrics (free PDF) AND Identification of children at very low risk of clinically-important brain injuries after head trauma: a prospective cohort stud – The Lancet (free PDF)
Randomized clinical trial of antibiotic therapy for uncomplicated appendicitis – British Journal of Surgery (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
See also a related meta-analysis suggesting the safety of nonoperative treatment for uncomplicated cases (free) and a recent guideline that incorporates the possibility of non-operative treatment for uncomplicated disease (free)
“1st RCT to show uncomplicated appendicitis resolve even without antibiotics (let alone surgery)” (RT @villesallinen see Tweet)
Low-dose CT for the diagnosis of appendicitis in adolescents and young adults (LOCAT): a pragmatic, multicentre, randomised controlled non-inferiority trial – Lancet Gastroenterology &Hepatology (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Low-Dose CT Doesn’t Impair Clinical Outcomes in Younger Patients with Suspected Appendicitis – Physician’s First Watch (free)
Related: Enhanced recovery pathway for colorectal surgical patients improves outcomes, reduces cost – ACS, via EurekAlert (free) AND Clinical Practice Guidelines for Enhanced Recovery After Colon and Rectal Surgery From the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (free) AND Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Guidelines and Reviews in our collection (free) AND ERAS Society Website (free).
Source: Journal Watch ($)
“we found that the risk associated with nonobstetric surgery was relatively low, confirming that surgical procedures during pregnancy are generally safe”
Surgery must be a core part of health care – even in the poorest countries – The Guardian (free)
Related book: Essential Surgery – Disease Control Priorities 3 (DCP3) (free)
Related report: Global Surgery 2030 (free PDF)
Related commentary on the subject: In countries with a shortage of surgeons, other health care workers can fill in the gaps – STAT (free)
This meta-analysis, mainly from observational studies and including 1276 patients, suggests a positive effect of REBOA on mortality among non-compressible torso hemorrhage patients.
2017 ACS Quality and Safety Conference: “Strong for Surgery” Shows Promise in Reducing Smoking Rates for Patients Facing Surgery – American College of Surgeons, via NewsWise (free)
“Study suggests big drop in smoking rates when surgeons help patients quit before their operations”.
American College of Surgeons (ACS) 2017 Quality and Patient Safety Conference: Enhanced recovery pathway for colorectal surgical patients improves outcomes, reduces cost – ACS, via EurekAlert (free)
Related guideline: Clinical Practice Guidelines for Enhanced Recovery After Colon and Rectal Surgery From the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (free)
See other Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Guidelines and Reviews in our collection and in the ERAS Society Website.
“Successful protocol shortens hospital stays, reduces patients’ risk of complications, and cuts costs up to $11,000 per procedure”
Viewpoint: The Evolving Story of Overlapping Surgery – JAMA (free) (RT @pash22 see Tweet)
Commentary: 3 steps to restore patient trust in overlapping surgeries – FierceHealthcare (free)
This interesting viewpoint discusses the practice of scheduling overlapping surgeries, in which a qualified practitioner finishes noncritical parts of the first operation while the primary surgeon moves to the next surgery.
Related: Essential Surgery – Disease Control Priorities (DCP3) (free landmark book on the topic) AND The Lancet Commission on Global Surgery (free resources)
Source: Global Health NOW Newsletter
Commentary: Patients whose emergency surgery is delayed are at higher risk of death – Canadian Medical Association Journal, via EurekAlert (free)
Source: STAT News Newsletter
“Delayed operating room access for emergency surgery was associated with increased risk of inhospital mortality, longer length of stay and higher costs”.
Long-term health status and trajectories of seriously injured patients: A population-based longitudinal study – PLOS Medicine (free) (RT @karimbrohi see Tweet – “Trauma is a chronic disease”)
“The prevalence of reporting problems at 36-months postinjury was 37% for mobility, 21% for self-care, 47% for usual activities, 50% for pain/discomfort, and 41% for anxiety/depression… the prevalence of ongoing problems at 3-years postinjury is high, confirming that serious injury is frequently a chronic disorder”
A Placebo-Controlled Trial of Antibiotics for Smaller Skin Abscesses – New England Journal of Medicine (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentaries: Adding Antibiotics to Incision-and-Drainage of Small Skin Abscesses Helps – Physician’s First Watch (free) AND Antibiotics Improve Short-Term Outcomes for Simple Abscesses – Medscape (free registration required) AND Study finds benefit for antibiotic treatment of simple skin wounds – CIDRAP (free)
A Meta-analysis of the Impact of Aspirin, Clopidogrel, and Dual Antiplatelet Therapy on Bleeding Complications in Noncardiac Surgery – Annals of Surgery (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Source: EvidenceAlerts (free resource to find articles of interest)
“Antiplatelet therapy at the time of noncardiac surgery confers minimal bleeding risk with no difference in thrombotic complications. In many cases, it is safe to continue antiplatelet therapy in patients with important indications for their use”
Inspired by War Zones, Balloon Device May Save Civilians From Fatal Blood Loss – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Surgeon Variation in Complications With Minimally Invasive and Open Colectomy: Results From the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative – JAMA Surgery (free) (RT @MaryDixonWoods see Tweet)
Surgeon-level variation in complications among surgeons was nearly twice as great for Minimally Invasive Colectomy than for Open Colectomy, implying a need for improved training in adoption of minimally invasive techniques.
How to fall to your death and live to tell the tale – Mosaic Science (free)
“Falls—such as slipping in the shower or tripping down stairs—kill over 420,000 people worldwide each year” (RT @ghn_news see Tweet)
Antibiotics Versus Surgical Therapy for Uncomplicated Appendicitis: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Controlled Trials – Annals of Surgery (link to abstract – $ for full-text)
Commentary: Antibiotics Versus Surgery: Equally Effective in Treating Appendicitis? – Medscape (free registration required)
This meta-analysis and the author’s conclusions do not favor antibiotics alone for the treatment of uncomplicated appendicitis, contradiction the results of other recent meta-analysis, as well as a recent guideline on the subject, suggesting antibiotics might be an option in selected cases.
Effect of a Modified Hospital Elder Life Program on Delirium and Length of Hospital Stay in Patients Undergoing Abdominal Surgery: A Cluster Randomized Clinical Trial – JAMA Surgery (free) (RT @PreetiNMalani see Tweet)
Commentary: Anti-delirium strategy reduces after-surgery confusion in elderly – Reuters Health (free)
Multicomponent nonpharmacologic interventions, including orienting communications, oral and nutritional assistance, and early mobilization reduced postoperative delirium by 56% and length of stay by 2 days.
New Advice to Move More After a Concussion – The New York Times (10 articles per month are free)
Related: Consensus statement on concussion in sport—the 5th international conference on concussion in sport held in Berlin, October 2016 – British Journal of Sports Medicine (free) AND So, Tom Brady had a concussion. What does that mean? Your guide to the latest science – STAT News (free)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guideline for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection, 2017 – JAMA Surgery (free) (RT @jankluytmans and @CIDRAP_ASP see Tweet)
Invited commentary: Surgical Site Infection Prevention – What We Know and What We Do Not Know – JAMA Surgery (free)
Commentary: ‘Long-Awaited’ CDC Guidelines on SSI Prevention Released – Medscape (free registration required)
Related: Global guidelines on the prevention of surgical site infection 2016 – World Health Organization (free)
Editorial: WOMAN: reducing maternal deaths with tranexamic acid (free)
Commentary: Overlooked Drug Could Save Thousands Of Moms After Childbirth – NPR Goats and Soda (free)
“Tranexamic acid reduced deaths of mothers caused by bleeding after childbirth by 1/3” (RT @LSHTMpress see Tweet)
Mortality Trends After a Voluntary Checklist-based Surgical Safety Collaborative – Annals of Surgery (link to abstract – free PDF available)
Sources: Global Health NOW Newsletter (free) AND South Carolina Hospitals Saw Surgery Deaths Drop After Implementing WHO Checklist – AJMC News (free) AND A simple checklist prevents deaths after surgery, a large new study suggests – The Washington Post (a few articles per month are free)
See also: WHO Surgical Safety Checklist – World Health Organization (free) AND A Surgical Safety Checklist to Reduce Morbidity and Mortality in a Global Population – New England Journal of Medicine (free)
The wound/burn guidelines – Japanese Dermatological Association (all guidelines are free)
Wounds in general / Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment for pressure ulcers / Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment for diabetic ulcer/gangrene / Guidelines for the management of skin ulcers associated with connective tissue disease/vasculitis / Guidelines for the management of lower leg ulcers/varicose veins / Guidelines for the management of burns
ACR Appropriateness Criteria Adds Topics, Covers More Clinical Variants Than Ever Before (free)
Browse Appropriateness Criteria Topics (free)
Source: Newswise
This comprehensive guide from American College of Radiology (ACR) covers 230 topics with more than 1,100 clinical indications and has just been updated. It is a very useful resource for doctors in all specialties to guide which exam is most appropriate in each clinical situation.
Editorial: Medical Treatment of Pediatric Appendicitis: Are We There Yet? (free)
See also a recent meta-analysis and related commentaries on the same subject (free)
Nonoperative treatment was successful in 90% of cases. Subgroup analysis indicated an increased risk for initial fails and recurrent appendicitis in those with appendicolith.
Going Under the Knife, With Eyes and Ears Wide Open – New York Times (free access to 10 articles per month)
“More and more surgeries are being performed with the patient awake and looking on, for financial and medical reasons”.