Trauma Monthly
Volume:20 Issue: 2, May-Jun2015

Anterior shoulder dislocation (ASD) is one of the most common reasons for referrals to emergency departments (ED). Usually, a combination of an intravenous narcotic and a benzodiazepine is used for procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) in such cases.

This study compares the efficacy of two combinations to reduce ASD.

The subjects in this clinical trial consisted of 48 patients with ASD who were randomly assigned to midazolam/fentanyl and propofol/fentanyl groups for PSA. The two groups were compared to the time interval between injection and induction of sedation (T1), duration of time from sedation to awakening (T2), the duration of time between sedation and full awareness to time, location and individuals (T3), and possible side effects.

Twenty-nine subjects (60.4%) were sedated with midazolam and 19 (39.6%) were sedated with propofol. During the procedure, one patient in the propofol group experienced apnea (P = 0.39) and three patients (one in the midazolam group and two in the propofol group) experienced bradycardia (P = 0.34). The mean T1, T2, and T3 were significantly shorter in the propofol group (P < 0.001).

It seems that propofol and fentanyl can be used as a safe and fast combination for PSA in the reduction of ASD.

Genu varum is a physical deformity marked by bowing of the leg. One of the risk factors of this musculoskeletal alignment is stress on the knee joint such as with exercise.

Since the evaluation of genu varum has not been widely studies, this study was conducted to examine the association between genu varum and playing soccer.

Between Septembers 2010-2012, 750 soccer players and 750 non-soccer players 10-18 years of age were included in the study. A questionnaire of data including age, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), years of soccer participation, the average time of playing soccer per week, previous trauma to the lower limbs, history of any fractures of the knee, previous hospitalizations, and the distance of joint lines between the knees was assessed for all subjects. Chi-square, student t-test, and one-way ANOVA were used for statistical analysis by SPSS v.19.0 software. In all tests, a P value of less than 0.05 was construed as statistically significant.

Both soccer players and controls had genu varum. However, the incidence of genu varum was higher in the soccer players (P = 0.0001) and it was more prevalent in the 16-18 year age group (P = 0.0001). The results revealed a statistically significant association between the degree of practices and the prevalence of genu varum (P = 0.0001). Moreover, previous trauma to the knees and practicing in load-bearing sports led to an increase in the degree of genu varum (P = 0.0001).

There was a higher incidence of genu varum in soccer players than in control adolescents; the stress and load imposed on the knee joint led to more severe genu varum.

Health care services can cause injuries to medical staff. One of these injuries is exposure to needle-sticks. This can result in the transmission of blood-borne diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis B; the staff undergo continuous stress. Thus, it is necessary to use some method to reduce this stress.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of education based on the stabilization model on stress induced exposure to needle sticks among nurses working in emergency and trauma wards.

This Quast- Experiental Study was performed on 35 nurses working in emergency and trauma wards of our hospital in October-December 2013. Data were collected using a two-part questionnaire; Reliability and validity of the questionnaire were confirmed (α = 0. 92 and ICC = 0.94).Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. The one-sample Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, independent t-test and paired sample t-test were also used.

The mean and standard deviation of stress experienced by nurses before and after the intervention were 64.94 ± 15.67 and 43.91 ± 10.73, respectively. Findings indicated that education decrease needle stick stress in nurses significantly (P < 0.001).

According to the results of this study, the stress level induced due to needle-stick exposure and its complications is high and interventions for reduction are essential.

Prolonged hospitalization in the intensive care unit (ICU) can impose long-term psychological effects on patients. One of the most significant psychological effects from prolonged hospitalization is delirium.

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of prolonged hospitalization of patients and subsequent delirium in the intensive care unit.

This conventional content analysis study was conducted in the General Intensive Care Unit of the Shariati Hospital of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, from the beginning of 2013 to 2014. All prolonged hospitalized patients and their families were eligible participants. From the 34 eligible patients and 63 family members, the final numbers of actual patients and family members were 9 and 16, respectively. Several semi-structured interviews were conducted face-to-face with patients and their families in a private room and data were gathered.

Two main themes from two different perspectives emerged, 'patients' perspectives' (experiences during ICU hospitalization) and 'family members' perspectives' (supportive-communicational experiences). The main results of this study focused on delirium, Patients' findings were described as pleasant and unpleasant, factual and delusional experiences.

Family members are valuable components in the therapeutic process of delirium. Effective use of family members in the delirium caring process can be considered to be one of the key non-medical nursing components in the therapeutic process.

Several researchers have suggested that addition of local anesthetics to spinal anesthesia increases the duration of postoperative analgesia.

This study sought to assess the effect of addition of clonidine to bupivacaine in spinal anesthesia on analgesia after cruciate ligament repair.

This double-blind clinical trial was conducted on 50 American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) class I or II patients who were candidates for cruciate ligament repair. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups; one group received 15 mg of bupivacaine (group B) and the other 15 mg of bupivacaine plus clonidine (75 µg, group BC). The two groups were compared in terms of post-operative analgesia and related factors using the SPSS software version 20.

All patients were males with a mean age of 24.9 years in group B, and 25.2 years in group BC (P > 0.05). In group BC, time lapse to request analgesics was 160 minutes longer and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) at this time was 0.3 units less than group B. The time to regression of sensory block by two dermatomes was seven minutes longer, VAS in the recovery room was 1 unit less and Bromage scale in the recovery room and ward was 0.6 and 0.9 units more, respectively in the BC group. Hypotension and ephedrine usage was 36% more in the BC group (P < 0.05).

Clonidine plus bupivacaine can increase the duration of motor and sensory block in arthroscopic cruciate ligament repair under spinal anesthesia. However, due to significant hemodynamic changes, further studies are required to determine a safer dose.

Multiple classifications can be used to define the magnitude of aortic injury. The Vancouver Classification (VC) is a new and simplified computed tomography-based Blunt Aortic Injury (BAI) grading system correlating with clinical outcomes.

The objectives of this study are: 1) to describe the severity of aortic injury in a center with a predominantly surgical approach to BAI; 2) to correlate the severity of aortic trauma to hospital survival rate and rate of adverse events according to the type of interventions performed during the hospital stay; and 3) to evaluate VC.

All patients referring to the Sacre-Coeur Hospital of Montreal between August 1998 and April 2011 for management of BAI were studied. Two radiologists reviewed all CT scan images individually and classified the aortic injuries using VC.

Among the 112 patients presenting with BAI, 39 cases had local CT scans available for reconstruction. Seven patients were identified as suffering from grade I injuries (flap or thrombus of less than 1 cm), 6 from grade II injuries (flap or thrombus of more than 1 cm), and 26 from grade III injuries (pseudoaneurysm). Among the patients with grade I injuries, 57% were treated surgically and 43% medically with a survival rate of 100%. Among the patients with grade II injuries (67% treated surgically and 33% treated medically) survival was also 100%. Among patients with grade III injuries (85% treated surgically, 7% had Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair (TEVAR) and 8% treated medically) survival was 95%, 95% and 50%, respectively. There were no significant differences between groups as to clinical outcome. Interrater reliability was 0.81.

VC is easy to use and has low inter-observer variability. Low grades of injury were associated with low mortality related to medical treatment.

Musculoskeletal disorders have become increasingly common among healthcare providers. They have become the most common cause of work-related disabilities among nurses.

The current cross-sectional study aimed to measure the prevalence of back pains among emergency medical technicians (EMTs), and association of back pain with quality of life, depression, anxiety and stress.

One hundred and eighty registered nurses working as EMTs at the Hamadan Emergency Medical Center were selected by consensus. Data collection tools were Demographic, Perceived Quality-of-Life, Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DAS21) and pain scale measurements.

Data showed that while 50.7% of the participants had an average awareness of the basic principles of back care, the majority (71.8%) had at least one type of back pain. There were associations between the prevalence of pain and depression (P = 0.049), pain and awareness (P = 0.035), and stress and job satisfaction (P = 0.024).

A large number (about two-thirds) of EMTs had some sort of back pain; it is highly recommended to promote the attitude and motivation of the individuals to take care to prevent back injury and inform them of the principles of back care. Implications for primary prevention and care practice include encouraging EMTs to apply accurate principles of back care.

Providing health services is described as an important moral measure, since its major aim is to ensure the welfare of the people who need treatment and care. Moral sensitivity is the ability to identify the existing moral problem and understand the moral consequences of the decisions made on the patient’s part. Physicians are always exposed to moral distress due to various circumstances.

In this survey, we evaluated moral sensitivity and moral distress among physicians and the relationship of these ethical factors on them. Hence, we assessed y relationship between moral sensitivity and moral distress in physicians will facilitate their sound management so as to provide high-quality and safe health services. Moreover it will confirm proposed theories regarding this subject.

This cross-sectional descriptive-analytic study aimed at investigating the relationship between moral sensitivity and moral distress among 321 specialist physicians working in hospitals affiliated to Tehran Medical Universities in Tehran. The samples were selected through two-stage random cluster sampling method. A three-partite questionnaire comprising of demographic characteristics, moral distress, and moral sensitivity was used for collecting data which then were analyzed using SPSS-20.

There was a negative significant relationship between moral sensitivity and moral distress frequency; there was a positive significant relationship between moral sensitivity and moral distress intensity. Participating in medical ethics courses increased moral sensitivity and decreased the frequency of moral distress.

Participating in medical ethics courses increased moral sensitivity and decreased the frequency of moral distress.

Nerve injuries resulting from major or minor trauma often cause some disabilities for patients. Neurotmesis, characterized by complete anatomical rupture of the nerve, is the most severe form of the injury which will not recover without reconstructive surgery and nowadays such neural damages are improved bymicrosurgical procedures. Some studies have used low power laser for nerve cell growth in order to improve the rehabilitation results of peripheral nerves. Low power laser can complement the reformation of postsurgical nerve injuries.

The current study aimed to assess the effects of laser therapy after repair of median nerve rupture in the distal third of the forearm and to compare the results with that of the standard method.

The current study was a case-control clinical trial of 36 patients with volar surface rupture of the distal third of forearm admitted to the emergency ward of Hazrat-e-Fatemeh Hospital within 72 hours of injury, they had anesthesia in the first, second, and third fingers as a result of Median Nerve Injury. Patients were divided into two groups. The first group included subjects treated with standard methods and the second group included those treated with low power laser therapy (LT) along with the standard method. The same surgeon operated the subjects in the two groups. The second group underwent 10 sessions of LT every other day. Clinical Examination, Electromyography and Nerve Conduction Velocity (NCV) were done after six months and the results were compared.

In the two -point discrimination- test, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the thumbs but a significant improvement was observed in the index finger of the LT group. Improvement of muscular examinations such as opposition and thumb abduction supported the usage of laser in the second group. Regarding electromyography and NCV, significant statistical difference was observed in the motor part of the laser group and, to a great extent, was compatible with the physical examinations.

Accordingly, laser therapy in our protocol seemed to affect some of the nerve growth parameters, mostly on motor rather than sensory fibers.