Hemodynamically Unstable Pelvic Trauma is a major problem in blunt traumatic injury. No cosensus has been reached in literature on the optimal treatment of this condition. We present the results of the First Italian Consensus Conference on Pelvic Trauma which took place in Bergamo on April 13 2013. An extensive review of the literature has been undertaken by the Organizing Committee (OC) and forwarded to the Scientific Committee (SC) and the Panel (JP). Members of them were appointed by surgery, critical care, radiology, emergency medicine and orthopedics Italian and International societies: the Italian Society of Surgery, the Italian Association of Hospital Surgeons, the Multi-specialist Italian Society of Young Surgeons, the Italian Society of Emergency Surgery and Trauma, the Italian Society of Anesthesia, Analgesia, Resuscitation and Intensive Care, the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, the Italian Society of Emergency Medicine, the Italian Society of Medical Radiology, Section of Vascular and Interventional Radiology and the World Society of Emergency Surgery. From November 2012 to January 2013 the SC undertook the critical revision and prepared the presentation to the audience and the Panel on the day of the Conference. Then 3 recommendations were presented according to the 3 submitted questions. The Panel voted the recommendations after discussion and amendments with the audience. Later on a email debate took place until December 2013 to reach a unanimous consent. We present results on the 3 following questions: which hemodynamically unstable patient needs an extraperitoneal pelvic packing? Which hemodynamically unstable patient needs an external fixation? Which hemodynamically unstable patient needs emergent angiography? No longer angiography is considered the first therapeutic maneuver in such a patient. Preperitoneal pelvic packing and external fixation, preceded by pelvic binder have a pivotal role in the management of these patients.Hemodynamically Unstable Pelvic Trauma is a frequent death cause among people who sustain blunt trauma. We present the results of the First Italian Consensus Conference.
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Objective: We aim to formulate evidence-based recommendations to assist physicians decision-making in the assessment and management of children younger than 16 years presenting to the emergency department (ED) following a blunt head trauma with no suspicion of non-accidental injury.
Methods: These guidelines were commissioned by the Italian Society of Pediatric Emergency Medicine and include a systematic review and analysis of the literature published since 2005. Physicians with expertise and experience in the fields of pediatrics, pediatric emergency medicine, pediatric intensive care, neurosurgery and neuroradiology, as well as an experienced pediatric nurse and a parent representative were the components of the guidelines working group. Areas of direct interest included 1) initial assessment and stabilization in the ED, 2) diagnosis of clinically important traumatic brain injury in the ED, 3) management and disposition in the ED. The guidelines do not provide specific guidance on the identification and management of possible associated cervical spine injuries. Other exclusions are noted in the full text.
Conclusions: Recommendations to guide physicians practice when assessing children presenting to the ED following blunt head trauma are reported in both summary and extensive format in the guideline document.
Finally, prevalence estimates for PTSD and cPTSD were estimated, together with gender differences. Association with traumatic experiences and a screened diagnosis of PTSD or cPTSD was assessed using multinomial logistic regression models, with ITQ categorical results (no diagnosis, PTSD and cPTSD) modeled as dependent variable, and intentional and unintentional TEs experienced during childhood, adolescence or during the last 6 months were jointly modeled as independent variables in order to correct their effects for each other. Afterward, analyses were adjusted by gender, parental education, and nationality.
In Italy, a comprehensive regional study of trauma deaths has never been performed. We examined the organization and delivery of trauma care in the city area of Milan, using panel review of trauma deaths. Two panels evaluated the appropriateness of care of all trauma victims occurred during 1 year, applying predefined criteria and judging deaths as not preventable (NP), possible preventable (PP), and definitely preventable (DP). Two hundred and fifty-five deaths were reviewed. Blunt trauma were 78.04% and motor vehicle crashes accounted for over 50%. Most victims (73.72%) died during pre-hospital settings and 91.1% died within the first 6h, principally because of central nervous system injuries in blunt and hemorrhage in penetrating trauma. Panels judged 57% of deaths NP, 32% PP, 11% DP (inter-panel K-test 0.88). Preventable deaths were higher after in-hospital admission. Main failures of treatment were lack in airway control or intravenous infusions in pre-hospital and mismanagement with missed injuries in emergency department. The high rate of avoidable deaths in Milan supports the need of trained pre-hospital personnel and of well equipped referring hospitals for trauma.
PTSD is a psychiatric disorder caused by a terrifying event, perceived as a trauma, which affects directly or indirectly the individual (e.g., severe accident or injury, threat to physical safety, death or threat death, sexual assault, natural disasters, war, etc.) [9]. Specific criteria, focused on identifying causes and symptoms, are required for the PTSD diagnosis. The identification of the stressor is a first, but not sufficient, criterion for the PTSD diagnosis (Criterion A), followed by the identification of symptoms related to four specific dimensions (B, C, D, E Criteria): intrusive symptoms; avoidance; negative alterations in mood and thinking; changes in arousal and reactivity [9]. The negative impact of the PTSD symptomatology on daily life (e.g., social interaction, work activity) is another criterion to consider for its functional significance (Criterion G) [9].
The pandemic outbreak of an unrecognized infection, with no vaccines or effective medical treatments, such as COVID-19, could be defined as a traumatic experience for its acute and chronic implications at individual and community levels. The COVID-19 outbreak has had a direct effect on the population. On the one hand, the fear of contagion and the risk of death, for oneself and loved ones, represents a direct threat (Criterion A of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition; DSM-5). On the other hand, indirect consequences of the pandemic appear to be associated with feelings of instability, psychological distress, sleep disturbance, psychiatric and mood disorders, and general psychopathological symptomatology [2,3,4,5,6,8,9,10]. These symptoms may be due to, or occur in comorbidity with, those of the DSM-5 criteria for the PTSD diagnosis.
Considering the unique characteristics of the COVID-19 emergency, which could generate a novel perspective on trauma, the present study aims to develop a new questionnaire to assess PTSD symptomatology, related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19-PTSD questionnaire, following the items of the PTSD Checklist for the DSM-5 (PCL-5) [16], is focused on direct (e.g., fear of the infection) and indirect (e.g., social distancing, social isolation, quarantine) stressors consequent to the COVID-19 emergency. Given the similar factors that characterize all medical emergencies, this questionnaire could be useful also in the future, in order to define the PTSD symptoms associated with them.
A preliminary set of items was first created, starting from the 20 items of PCL-5 corresponding to the criteria for PTSD outlined in the DSM-5. Then, a focus group, to improve content validity, was conducted by the last author (MC), with five clinical psychologists with expertise in the DSM-5 criteria for PTSD diagnosis. The group tried to identify central and specific traumatic aspects of pandemic exposure. This procedure allowed the suggestion of some modifications to the items of the PCL-5. These adjustments were discussed and evaluated by all the group, and eligible items were selected by agreement among participants. Any disagreement was discussed with the supervisor.
This study was designed as a consequence of the previous studies about the psychological effect of the COVID-19 pandemic [2,3,4,5,6,42,43]. These studies reported an increased risk of psychopathologies and stress-related disorders, as well as a high rate of PTSD symptomatology [44]. However, although the studies on PTSD are extensive, and in recent years the nature of trauma has been reconsidered [45], questionnaires to analyze medical emergencies protracted over time, such as epidemics and pandemics, have not yet developed. Furthermore, the lack of a validated instrument of rapid administration, for assessing the severity of PTSD symptoms in the Italian population, represents another reason for this study.
These results allow the defining of the main symptoms associated with the current worldwide traumatic event, although further studies are needed. The alterations in mood, the intrusions, and the dysphoric and anxious arousal associated with memories of adverse events (i.e., the COVID-19 epidemic) or other related events (e.g., the fear of non-compliance with the restrictive measures requested by the Government) characterized the symptomatology reported by the respondents. The present investigation showed that this self-report questionnaire manages well the assessment of stress conditions related to the trauma. Furthermore, its satisfactory psychometric properties confirm its usefulness, in both the research field and clinical practice.
In the current study, we applied the PTSD criteria of the DSM-5 to determine the prevalence of PTSD, finding a significantly higher prevalence of PTSD symptomatology [39]. A COVID-19-PTSD score of 26 was deemed to correctly categorize a participant as having or not having significant PTSD symptoms. The prevalence of PTSD, considering this cut-off score, was reported at around 29%. At the first examination, this percentage might seem high. However, different hypotheses can be carried out. Firstly, the data were collected in March 2020, during the peak of infection and death due to COVID-19 in Italy [46], characterized by a high overload of the national health system and the restriction measures adopted by the Italian Government, i.e., a phase that can be considered as a highly acute stressor. Secondly, the specific request to focus on issues related to COVID-19 may have emphasized the results associated with the perception of personal distress, representing a psychological demand from respondents, who experienced for the first time this pandemic, to perceive it as highly traumatic. In this light, the COVID-19-PTSD questionnaire could be considered a sensitive screening tool in a population faced with emergencies, and it can represent a first step toward the assessment of the risk of PTSD. However, further studies are needed because of the absence of clinical guidelines to define a clear cut-off for the diagnosis of PTSD, and given the lack of studies adopting this instrument on other samples.
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